drift
drift — verb
1. to move slowly in a direction that cannot be controlled, usually because of wind
to move slowly in a direction that cannot be controlled, usually because of wind, water, or a current — like a boat moving without its engine, or smoke spreading through the air
The small fishing boat drifted towards the rocks after its engine stopped working.
drift + towards [destination]
Smoke from the campfire drifted across the field and into the trees.
drift + across [area]
A white cloud drifted slowly in front of the moon on a cold winter night.
Shirin watched her paper boat drift away from the edge of the pond.
drift + away from [point]
- drift towards
- drift across
- drift away from
- drift slowly
- drift gently
- drift aimlessly
Grammar Patterns
drift + prepositional phrase (direction)
drift + adverb
Usage Note
Subject is usually a physical object or substance (boat, cloud, smoke, leaf). The direction is always specified or implied through a prepositional phrase or adverb.
Common Mistakes
2. a driving technique in which a car slides sideways through a bend on purpose, wi
a driving technique in which a car slides sideways through a bend on purpose, with the driver keeping full control even though the rear tyres have lost their grip on the road
Takeshi drifted around the sharp corner at over 110 kilometres per hour.
drift + around [corner/bend]
The young driver learned to drift by practising on empty mountain roads.
Ayana drifted past two cars on the last bend and won the race.
drift + past [obstacle]
Nellie watched drifting tutorials online before trying the technique herself.
- drift around a corner
- drift past
- learn to drift
- drift control
- powerslide
a similar technique using more engine power to break traction
- skid
uncontrolled sliding, not a deliberate technique
Grammar Patterns
drift + adverb of manner
drift + prepositional phrase
Usage Note
This sense belongs to motorsport vocabulary. Subject is always a driver or vehicle. The purpose is either competitive (racing) or stylistic (show).
Common Mistakes
3. when snow, sand, or similar material is blown into a large heap by the wind; or
when snow, sand, or similar material is blown into a large heap by the wind; or for the wind to pile such material up in a particular place
Snow had drifted against the front door, so the family could not get out.
drift + against [structure]
The strong wind drifted the sand into tall dunes along the coastline.
passive: wind drifted [material] into [shape]
Dead leaves drifted into large piles under the garden wall after the storm.
Lucas woke up to find snow had drifted through a gap in the old wooden roof.
drift + through [opening]
- drifted against
- drifted into piles
- drifted snow
- wind-drifted sand
Grammar Patterns
be drifted + prepositional phrase
drift + prepositional phrase (intransitive)
Usage Note
When used transitively, the subject is the wind or water, and the object is the material being piled. The intransitive use describes the material piling up on its own. Frequently found in weather reports and nature descriptions.
Common Mistakes
drift apart
phrasal verbIf two people drift apart, their relationship slowly becomes less close over time.
Maya and her childhood friend drifted apart after moving to different cities.
Did you and your college roommate drift apart after graduation?
drift off
phrasal verbTo drift off means to gradually fall asleep, often without intending to.
During the long car ride, Aiden drifted off in the back seat.
Sara tried to stay awake but drifted off during the movie.
drift — noun
1. the main idea or general meaning of what someone is saying or writing, without t
the main idea or general meaning of what someone is saying or writing, without the specific details
I could not follow every word of her speech, but I understood the general drift of it.
the drift of [speech/argument]
The main drift of the article is that social media affects young people's mental health.
the main drift of [text]
Justin listened carefully to catch the drift of what the manager was trying to explain.
catch the drift of [statement]
The general drift of their conversation suggested they were planning a surprise party.
- the drift of
- the general drift
- catch the drift
- get the drift
- main drift
Grammar Patterns
the drift of [speech/argument/conversation]
Usage Note
Always used with a determiner (the, a) or possessive. Frequently appears in the fixed expressions 'the drift of something', 'catch/get the drift', and 'the general drift'. Not used in the plural.
Common Mistakes
2. the use of 'drift' in the common phrases 'get the drift' and 'catch the drift',
the use of 'drift' in the common phrases 'get the drift' and 'catch the drift', describing how a person understands the essential message of a spoken explanation without requiring every single point
Talia did not need to hear the rest — she had already got the drift.
get the drift
Heather explained the new rules quickly, and Lucas caught the drift straight away.
catch the drift
When I saw his expression, I got the drift and stopped asking questions.
The teacher talked for twenty minutes, and the students caught the drift after the first few sentences.
- got the drift
- caught the drift
- get the drift of
- catch on
informal phrasal verb meaning to start understanding
- understand
more general, not specific to grasping an implied meaning
Grammar Patterns
get the drift
catch the drift
Usage Note
Nearly always used in perfect tenses: 'have/has/had got the drift' or 'have/has/had caught the drift'. The speaker assumes shared understanding — the listener can fill in the missing parts. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the gist itself; this sense is the act of understanding that gist.
Common Mistakes
3. a conversational expression used at the end of a statement to indicate that the
a conversational expression used at the end of a statement to indicate that the speaker has left out some information or explanation but expects the listener to understand the general idea anyway
The job involves long hours and difficult customers — but you get the drift.
you get the drift [rhetorical]
Her speech covered budget problems, staff shortages, and new rules — you get the drift.
The wedding had a burnt cake, missing chairs, and a rainy ceremony — you get the drift.
The hotel had broken lifts, dirty sheets, and cold food — you get the drift.
- but you get the drift
- — you get the drift
- you know what I mean
more general filler phrase, less specific to omitted details
- you can imagine the rest
more explicit, less idiomatic
Grammar Patterns
[statement] ... you get the drift
Usage Note
Used as a rhetorical closing device after listing examples. The speaker is saying 'I could say more, but you already understand the pattern.' The phrase is fixed — variations like 'you catch the drift' are much less common. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 is about the listener actively working out the meaning; this sense is a conversational signal from the speaker.
Common Mistakes
4. an amount of snow, sand, leaves, or other light material that the wind has colle
an amount of snow, sand, leaves, or other light material that the wind has collected into a heap
The car got stuck in a deep snowdrift on the road through the mountains.
snowdrift (compound noun)
After the blizzard, huge drifts of snow blocked the entrance to the village.
drifts of [snow/sand]
Renata found the garden gate completely hidden behind a drift of fallen leaves.
Deep sand drifts made the desert road impossible for ordinary cars to cross.
sand drift
- snowdrift
- drift of snow
- drift of sand
- deep drift
- huge drift
Grammar Patterns
drift of [snow/sand/leaves]
a [material] drift
Usage Note
Most commonly used with 'snow' (snowdrift). When the material is sand, it may refer to desert dunes or beach accumulations. The compound form 'snowdrift' is very common and can be treated as a separate word.
5. a slow and steady change or development in a situation, opinion, or pattern of b
a slow and steady change or development in a situation, opinion, or pattern of behaviour over a period of time
There has been a steady drift of people moving away from big cities towards smaller towns.
drift of people from [place] to [place]
The general drift of public opinion has shifted towards supporting renewable energy.
the drift of opinion/attitude
Sociologists have noticed a gradual drift away from traditional family structures in modern societies.
drift away from [tradition/norm]
The country has seen a worrying drift towards extreme political views in recent elections.
drift towards [political direction]
- steady drift
- gradual drift
- drift towards
- drift away from
- drift of opinion
- drift of population
Grammar Patterns
drift of [people/opinion] from [origin] to [destination]
drift towards [trend]
Usage Note
Often paired with directional prepositions: 'drift towards', 'drift away from', 'drift from... to...'. The change is always gradual and often seen as natural or inevitable rather than planned. Common in academic, political, and sociological writing.
Common Mistakes
6. a driving technique used in car racing where the driver makes the rear wheels lo
a driving technique used in car racing where the driver makes the rear wheels lose their grip on the road and slides sideways around a corner while still controlling the vehicle
Drift has become a popular driving style thanks to Japanese street racing culture.
The racer entered the corner in a perfect drift, with clouds of smoke from the rear tyres.
in a drift
Élise spent months practising drift control before entering her first competition.
drift control
The championship final featured some of the best drift driving the crowd had ever seen.
- in a drift
- drift control
- drift technique
- do a drift
- perfect drift
- powerslide
a similar technique using more engine power to break traction
Grammar Patterns
[do] a drift
in a drift
Usage Note
As an uncountable noun it refers to the technique or sport in general. As a countable noun ('a drift', 'a perfect drift') it describes a single instance or performance of the manoeuvre. Often capitalised in the context of the sport 'Drifting' as a competitive discipline.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- drifternounB2
- driftwoodnounB2
- snowdriftnounB2
- adriftadjectiveC1
- driftingadjectiveB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Drift, float, glide, and wander all describe movement without a strong sense of pushing forward, but they differ in who or what controls the movement. Drift emphasises that an external force — wind, water, or a current — is doing the moving, and the person or object has little or no control. A boat that drifts has no working engine; smoke that drifts is carried by the breeze. Float describes staying on the surface of a liquid without sinking, but the subject may not be moving anywhere — a boat can float in place. Glide suggests smooth, effortless, and often controlled movement, like a bird or a skier moving without visible effort. Wander is always about a person or animal moving on foot without a fixed destination, and it implies choice: you wander because you want to, not because the wind pushes you. Compare: 'The paper boat drifted across the pond' (carried by the water) vs. 'The paper boat floated on the pond' (staying on the surface, not necessarily moving) vs. 'We wandered through the park' (on foot, by choice).
Common collocations
Etymology
Drift comes from Old English 'drifan,' meaning 'to drive' or 'to push forward.' The original idea was that something is driven or carried along by an outside force such as wind or water. This physical meaning developed more than a thousand years ago and later gave rise to the metaphorical senses: if a conversation 'drifts,' it moves along without a clear direction, just like a boat on the water. The noun form 'drift' for a pile of snow came from the Old Norse word 'drift,' which described snow blown into heaps.