A force that moves something along.

synonyms: impetus, impulsion.

Roget 349: wind, draught, flatus, afflatus, efflation^†, eluvium^†; air; breath, breath of air; puff, whiff, zephyr; blow, breeze, drift; aura; stream, current, jet stream; undercurrent.    gust, blast, squall, gale, half a gale, storm, tempest, hurricane, whirlwind, tornado, samiel, cyclone, anticyclone, typhoon; simoon^†, simoom; harmattan^†, monsoon, trade wind, sirocco, mistral, bise^†, tramontane, levanter; capful of wind; fresh breeze, stiff breeze; keen blast; blizzard, barber [Can.], candelia^†, chinook, foehn, khamsin^†, norther, vendaval^†, wuther^†.    windiness etc. adj.; ventosity^†; rough weather, dirty weather, ugly weather, stress of weather; dirty sky, mare's tail; thick squall, black squall, white squall.    anemography^†, aerodynamics; wind gauge, weathercock, vane, weather-vane, wind sock; anemometer, anemoscope^†.    sufflation^†, insufflation^†, perflation^†, inflation, afflation^†; blowing, fanning etc. v.; ventilation.    sneezing etc. v.; errhine^†; sternutative^†, sternutatory^†; sternutation; hiccup, hiccough; catching of the breath.    Eolus, Boreas, Zephyr, cave of Eolus.    air pump, air blower, lungs, bellows, blowpipe, fan, ventilator, punkah^†; branchiae^†, gills, flabellum^†, vertilabrum^†.    whiffle ball.    ... show more

Roget 620: intent, intention, intentionality; purpose; quo animo [Lat.]; project etc. 626; undertaking etc. 676; predetermination etc. 611; design, ambition.    contemplation, mind, animus, view, purview, proposal; study; look out.    final cause; raison d'etre [Fr.]; cui bono [Lat.]; object, aim, end; the be all and the end all;" drift etc. (meaning) 516; tendency etc. 176; destination, mark, point, butt, goal, target, bull's-eye, quintain [Mediev.]; prey, quarry, game.    decision, determination, resolve; fixed set purpose, settled purpose; ultimatum; resolution etc. 604; wish etc. 865; arriere pensee [Fr.]; motive etc. 615.    [Study of final causes] teleology.    ... show more

Roget 270: transfer, transference; translocation, elocation^†; displacement; metastasis, metathesis; removal; remotion^†, amotion^†; relegation; deportation, asportation^†; extradition, conveyance, draft, carrying, carriage; convection, conduction, contagion; transfer etc. (of property) 783.    transit, transition; passage, ferry, gestation; portage, porterage^†, carting, cartage; shoveling etc. v.; vection^†, vecture^†, vectitation^†; shipment, freight, wafture^†; transmission, transport, transportation, importation, exportation, transumption^†, transplantation, translation; shifting, dodging; dispersion etc. 73; transposition etc. (interchange) 148; traction etc. 285.    [Thing transferred] drift.    ... show more

Roget 176: tendency; aptness, aptitude; proneness, proclivity, bent, turn, tone, bias, set, leaning to, predisposition, inclination, propensity, susceptibility; conatus [Lat.], nisus [Lat.]; liability etc. 177; quality, nature, temperament; idiocrasy^†, idiosyncrasy; cast, vein, grain; humor, mood; drift etc. (direction) 278; conduciveness, conducement^†; applicability etc. (utility) 644; subservience etc. (instrumentality) 631.    ... show more

Roget 72: assemblage; collection, collocation, colligation^†; compilation, levy, gathering, ingathering, muster, attroupement^†; team; concourse, conflux^†, congregation, contesseration^†, convergence etc. 290; meeting, levee, reunion, drawing room, at home; conversazione [It] etc. (social gathering) 892; assembly, congress; convention, conventicle; gemote^†; conclave etc. (council) 696; posse, posse comitatus [Lat.]; Noah's ark.    miscellany, collectanea^†; museum, menagerie etc. (store) 636; museology^†.    crowd, throng, group; flood, rush, deluge; rabble, mob, press, crush, cohue^†, horde, body, tribe; crew, gang, knot, squad, band, party; swarm, shoal, school, covey, flock, herd, drove; atajo^†; bunch, drive, force, mulada [U.S.]; remuda^†; roundup [U.S.]; array, bevy, galaxy; corps, company, troop, troupe, task force; army, regiment etc. (combatants) 726; host etc. (multitude) 102; populousness.    clan, brotherhood, fraternity, sorority, association etc. (party) 712.    volley, shower, storm, cloud.    group, cluster, Pleiades, clump, pencil; set, batch, lot, pack; budget, assortment, bunch; parcel; packet, package; bundle, fascine^†, fasces^†, bale; seron^†, seroon^†; fagot, wisp, truss, tuft; shock, rick, fardel^†, stack, sheaf, haycock^†; fascicle, fascicule^†, fasciculus [Lat.], gavel, hattock^†, stook^†.    accumulation etc. (store) 636; congeries, heap, lump, pile, rouleau^†, tissue, mass, pyramid; bing^†; drift; snowball, snowdrift; acervation^†, cumulation; glomeration^†, agglomeration; conglobation^†; conglomeration, conglomerate; coacervate [Chem], coacervation [Chem], coagmentation^†, aggregation, concentration, congestion, omnium gaterum [Lat.], spicilegium^†, black hole of Calcutta; quantity etc. (greatness) 31.    collector, gatherer; whip, whipper in.    ... show more

Roget 278: direction, bearing, course, vector; set, drift, tenor; tendency etc. 176; incidence; bending, trending etc. v.; dip, tack, aim, collimation; steering steerage.    point of the compass, cardinal points; North East, South, West; N by E, ENE, NE by N, NE, &c.; rhumb^†, azimuth, line of collimation.    line, path, road, range, quarter, line of march; alignment, allignment^†; air line, beeline; straight shoot.    ... show more

Dutch: stuwkracht, impuls

The gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane).

A process of linguistic change over a period of time.

A large mass of material that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents.

Dutch: afdrijven

A general tendency to change (as of opinion).

synonyms: movement, trend.

Dutch: trend

The pervading meaning or tenor:
— Caught the general drift of the conversation.

synonym: purport.

Roget 516: meaning; signification, significance; sense, expression; import, purport; force; drift, tenor, spirit, bearing, coloring; scope.    [important part of the meaning] substance; gist, essence, marrow, spirit etc. 5.    matter; subject, subject matter; argument, text, sum and substance.    general meaning, broad meaning, substantial meaning, colloquial meaning, literal meaning, plain meaning, simple meaning, natural meaning, unstrained meaning, true meaning, etc. (exact) 494 honest meaning, etc. 543 prima facie meaning [Lat.]; etc. (manifest) 525.    letter of the law.    literally; after acceptation.    synonym; implication, allusion etc. (latency) 526; suggestion etc. (information) 527; figure of speech etc. 521; acceptation etc. (interpretation) 522.    ... show more

A horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine:
— They dug a drift parallel with the vein.

synonyms: gallery, heading.

Be in motion due to some air or water current:
— The boat drifted on the lake.
— The sailboat was adrift on the open sea.
— The shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore.

synonyms: be adrift, blow, float.

Roget 267: sail; put to sea etc. (depart) 293; take ship, get under way; set sail, spread sail, spread canvas; gather way, have way on; make sail, carry sail; plow the waves, plow the deep, plow the main, plow the ocean; walk the waters.    navigate, warp, luff^†, scud, boom, kedge; drift, course, cruise, coast; hug the shore, hug the land; circumnavigate.    ply the oar, row, paddle, pull, scull, punt, steam.    swim, float; buffet the waves, ride the storm, skim, effleurer [Fr.], dive, wade.    fly, be wafted, hover, soar, flutter, jet, orbit, rocket; take wing, take a flight, take off, ascend, blast off, land, alight; wing one's flight, wing one's way; aviate; parachute, jump, glide.    ... show more

Roget 286: approach, approximate, appropinquate^†; near; get near, go near, draw near; come to close quarters, come near; move towards, set in towards; drift; make up to; gain upon; pursue etc. 622; tread on the heels of; bear up; make the land; hug the shore, hug the land.    ... show more

Dutch: te water laten, drijven, zeilen, zweven

Wander from a direct course or at random:
— Don't drift from the set course.

synonyms: err, stray.

Dutch: verdolen, verdwalen

Move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment:
— The laborers drift from one town to the next.

synonyms: cast, ramble, range, roam, roll, rove, stray, swan, tramp, vagabond, wander ... show more.

Roget 279: alter one's course, deviate, depart from, turn, trend; bend, curve etc. 245; swerve, heel, bear off; gybe^†, wear.    intervert^†; deflect; divert, divert from its course; put on a new scent, shift, shunt, draw aside, crook, warp.    stray, straggle; sidle; diverge etc. 291; tralineate^†; digress, wander; wind, twist, meander; veer, tack; divagate; sidetrack; turn aside, turn a corner, turn away from; wheel, steer clear of; ramble, rove, drift; go astray, go adrift; yaw, dodge; step aside, ease off, make way for, shy.    fly off at a tangent; glance off; wheel about, face about; turn to the right about, face to the right about; waddle etc. (oscillate) 314; go out of one's way etc. (perform a circuit) 629; lose one's way.    ... show more

Roget 264: be in motion etc. adj.; move, go, hie, gang, budge, stir, pass, flit; hover about, hover round, hover about; shift, slide, glide; roll, roll on; flow, stream, run, drift, sweep along; wander etc. (deviate) 279; walk etc. 266; change one's place, shift one's place, change one's quarters, shift one's quarters; dodge; keep going, keep moving; put in motion, set in motion; move; impel etc. 276; propel etc. 284; render movable, mobilize.    ... show more

Dutch: rondlopen, vreemdgaan, dolen, wandelen, rondwandelen, dwalen, ronddolen, zwerven

Vary or move from a fixed point or course.

Live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely:
— My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school.

synonym: freewheel.

Move in an unhurried fashion.

Cause to be carried by a current.

Drive slowly and far afield for grazing.

Be subject to fluctuation.

Be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current.