Webster's English Dictionary

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drift

Cross references:
  1. tendency              
 
1. drift \'drift\ n [ME; akin to OE dri-fan to drive - more at DRIVE] 1a: 
   the act of driving something along  1b: the flow or the velocity of the 
   current of a river or ocean stream  2: something driven, propelled, or 
   urged along or drawn together in a clump  by or as if by a natural agency : 
   as 2a: wind-driven snow, rain, cloud, dust, or smoke usu. at or near the 
   groun d surface 2b1: a mass of matter (as sand) deposited together by or as 
   if by wind or w ater 2b2: a helter-skelter accumulation  2c: DROVE, FLOCK  
   2d: something (as driftwood) washed ashore  2e: rock debris deposited by 
   natural agents; specif : a deposit of  clay, sand, gravel, and boulders 
   transported by a glacier or by running water from a glacier 3a: a general 
   underlying design or tendency  3b: the meaning, import, or purport of what 
   is spoken or written  4: something driven down upon or forced into a body : 
   as  4a: a tool for ramming down or driving something  4b: a pin for 
   stretching and aligning rivet holes  5: the motion or action of drifting 
   spatially usu. under external influence  : as 5a: a ship's deviation from 
   its course caused by currents  5b: one of the slower movements of oceanic 
   circulation  5c: the lateral motion of an airplane due to air currents  5d: 
   an easy moderate more or less steady flow or sweep along a spatial cour se 
   5e: a gradual shift in attitude, opinion, or position  5f: an aimless 
   course; esp : a foregoing of any attempt at directio n or control 5g: a 
   deviation from a true reproduction, representation, or reading  6a: a 
   nearly horizontal mine passageway driven on or parallel to the course  of a 
   vein or rock stratum 6b: a small crosscut in a mine connecting two larger 
   tunnels  7a: an assumed trend toward a general change in the structure of a 
   language  over a period of time 7b: change in genotypes of small 
   populations due to random loss or multipli cation of gene groups 7c: a 
   gradual change in the zero reading of an instrument or in any quantit ive 
   characteristic that is supposed to remain constant
2. drift \'drif-tin-le-\ vi 1a: to become driven or carried along by a 
   current of water, wind, or air  1b: to move or float smoothly and 
   effortlessly  2a: to move along the line of least resistance  2b: to travel 
   about in a random way esp. in search of work  2c: to become carried along 
   subject to no guidance or control  3a: to accumulate in a mass or become 
   piled up in heaps by wind or water  3b: to become covered with a drift  4a: 
   to vary or deviate from a set adjustment  4b: to vary sluggishly  1a: to 
   come to be driven in a current  West  1b: to drive (livestock) slowly esp. 
   to allow grazing  2a: to cause to drift  2b: to cover with drifts  - 
   drift.er n