• a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine; "they dug a Drift parallel with the vein"
• general meaning or tenor; "caught the Drift of the conversation"
• a general tendency to change (as of opinion); "not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book"; "a broad movement of the electorate to the right"
• something that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents
• a force that moves something along
• 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
• be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current; "snow Drifting several feet high"; "sand Drifting like snow"
• be subject to fluctuation; "The stock market Drifted upward"
• drive slowly and far afield for grazing; "Drift the cattle herds westwards"
• cause to be carried by a current; "Drift the boats downstream"
• move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment; "The gypsies roamed the woods"; "roving vagabonds"; "the wandering Jew"; "The cattle roam across the prairie"; "the laborers Drift from one town to the next"; "They ro
• be in motion due to some air or water current; "The leaves were blowing in the wind"; "the boat Drifted on the lake"; "The sailboat was aDrift on the open sea"; "the shipwrecked boat Drifted away from the shore"
• move in an unhurried fashion; "The unknown young man Drifted among the invited guests"
• wander from a direct course or at random; "The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her"; "don''t Drift from the set course"
• live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely; "My son Drifted around for years in California before going to law school"
• vary or move from a fixed point or course; "stock prices are Drifting higher"

'Drift' in other languages