| Front | drift |
|---|---|
| Back | drift noun, verb BrE /drɪft/ NAmE /drɪft/ noun word origin example bank slow movement 1 [singular, uncountable] a slow steady movement from one place to another; a gradual change or development from one situation to another, especially to sth bad a population drift away from rural areas attempts to halt the drift towards war of ship 2 [uncountable] the movement of a ship or plane away from its direction because of currents or wind Remember to allow for drift. of sea/air 3 [uncountable, countable] the movement of the sea or air current the general direction of drift on the east coast He knew the hidden drifts in that part of the river. of snow 4 [countable] a large pile of sth, especially snow, made by the wind The road was blocked by deep drifts of snow. see also snowdrift of flowers 5 [countable] a large mass of sth, especially flowers Plant daffodils in informal drifts. meaning 6 [singular] the general meaning of what sb says or writes gist Do you catch my drift? My German isn't very good, but I got the drift of what she said. see also continental drift verb verb forms word origin example bank move slowly 1 [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to move along smoothly and slowly in water or air Clouds drifted across the sky. The empty boat drifted out to sea. A cool breeze drifted through the open window. Smoke drifted across the room. 2 [intransitive] + adv./prep. to move or go somewhere slowly The crowd drifted away from the scene of the accident. Her gaze drifted around the room. People began to drift back to their houses. without purpose 3 [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to happen or change, or to do sth without a particular plan or purpose I didn't intend to be a teacher—I just drifted into it. He hasn't decided what to do yet—he's just drifting. The conversation drifted onto politics. into state/situation 4 [intransitive] ~ in/into sth to go from one situation or state to another without realizing it Finally she drifted into sleep. The injured man tried to speak but soon drifted into unconsciousness. of snow/sand 5 [intransitive] to be blown into large piles by the wind drifting sand Some roads are closed because of drifting. float 6 [transitive] + adv./prep. to make sth float somewhere The logs are drifted downstream to the mill. ˌdrift aˈpart to become less friendly or close to sb As children we were very close, but as we grew up we just drifted apart. ˌdrift ˈoff (to sleep) to fall asleep I didn't hear the storm. I must have drifted off by then. |
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