drive

The word “drive” means to operate and steer a motor vehicle. In plain terms, to steer a vehicle, to push someone toward a goal, or (as a noun) either a car trip, personal ambition, or a computer storage device.

“Drive” is pronounced dryv (/dɹaɪv/ in IPA).

Here is “drive” used in a sentence: “He learned to drive when he was seventeen.”

Depending on how it is used, “drive” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “drive” comes from Old English. From Old English drifan, "to force onward or move," an ancient Germanic verb.

“Drive” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Drive” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to operate and steer a motor vehicle.

You drive a vehicle when you are the one operating and steering it, such as a car, van, or lorry. You ride when you are a passenger, or when you sit astride something like a bicycle, motorbike, or horse. So a car's operator drives, while everyone else in the car rides, as does a cyclist.

Steering is just one part of driving, turning the wheel to control direction. Driving is the whole task: steering plus accelerating, braking, changing gear, and watching the road. You steer a vehicle as part of the larger job of driving it. All driving involves steering, but steering alone is not driving.

Yes. Drive has many senses: to push or force something along ("drive cattle," "drive a nail"), to motivate ("ambition drives her"), to power a machine, and, as a noun, energy or determination. Most senses share the idea of forceful, purposeful movement, the same push behind steering a car forward.

Drive is an irregular verb. The simple past is "drove," as in "she drove home," and the past participle is "driven," as in "she has driven for years." A common mistake is saying "have drove"; the correct form after has or have is always driven.