drove
drove Lexical Profile
drove Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle (simple past tense of drive).
"She drove through the night to reach her family before sunrise."
To propel, force, or compel someone or something to move or act in a particular way (simple past tense of drive).
"Rising housing costs drove many young families to relocate to the suburbs."
To drive herds of livestock, such as cattle or sheep, over long distances to market.
"For generations, local stockmen droved cattle along the mountain trails every autumn."
• noun
A large number of people moving, acting, or arriving together (usually used in the plural).
"Tourists arrived at the coastal town in droves as soon as the summer holidays began."
A herd or flock of animals being driven or moving together in a body.
"The rancher guided a large drove of cattle across the dusty plain toward the market."
A broad-edged chisel used by stonemasons for dressing and smoothing stone surfaces.
"The mason used a heavy mallet and a drove to finish the face of the limestone block."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun meaning a large moving crowd, the word is most commonly used in the plural form 'droves' (especially in the phrase 'in droves'). As a verb, 'drove' is the simple past tense of 'drive', while 'driven' is the past participle used with auxiliary verbs.
• Rhymes for drove
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English draf, meaning a herd or crowd driven together, directly related to the verb drifan ('to drive').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.