drift

noun

1. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.

   “Some log perhaps upon the waters swam, a useless drift.”

2. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.

   “a drift of snow, of ice, of sand, of plants, etc.”

   “Drifts of rising dust involve the sky.”

   “We […] got the brig a good bed in the rushing drift [of ice].”

   “Many of these ground-layer plants were placed in naturalistic drifts to make it appear as if they were sowing themselves.”

   “"During the winter, we get really bad snow conditions. We can go to eight inches of snow above the railhead, then the trains are stopped. It's usually more like four inches, but you get big drifts up towards Rannoch.”

3. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.
4. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.

   “cattle coming over the bridge (with their great drifts doing much damage to the high ways)”

5. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.

   “It is there seen that at a distance from the valleys of streams, the old glacial drift usually comes to the surface, and often rises into considerable eminences.”

6. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.
7. (countable, obsolete, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.

   “The dragon drew him [self] away with drift of his wings.”

8. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.

   “Our drift was south.”

9. (countable, physical, uncountable)Movement; that which moves or is moved.

   “The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom.[…]Drifts of yellow vapour, fiery, parching, stinging, filled the air.”

10. (countable, uncountable)The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.

    “A bad man, being under the drift of any passion, will follow the impulse of it till something interpose.”

11. (countable, uncountable)A place (a ford) along a river where the water is shallow enough to permit crossing to the opposite side.
12. (countable, uncountable)The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.

    “The Gods defenders of the innocent, Will neuer proſper your intended driftes, That thus oppreſſe poore friendles paſſengers.”

    “c. early 1700s, Joseph Addison, A Discourse on Ancient and Modern Learning He has made the drift of the whole poem a compliment on his country in general.”

    “Now thou knowest my drift.”

    “Besides, you lack the brains to catch my drift. / If I explained you wouldn't understand.”

13. (countable, uncountable)The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.
14. (countable, uncountable)A tool.
15. (countable, uncountable)A tool.
16. (countable, uncountable)A tool.
17. (countable, uncountable)A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to obloid projectiles.
18. (uncountable)Minor deviation of audio or video playback from its correct speed.

    “Reference sync servo system — permits minimal time-base error, assuring minimum jitter and drift.”

19. (uncountable)The situation where a performer gradually and unintentionally moves from their proper location within the scene.

    “There is another form of drift when playing in a scene with other actors.”

20. (countable, uncountable)A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery.
21. (countable, uncountable)An adit or tunnel driven forward for purposes of exploration or exploitation; generally eventually to a dead end.
22. (countable, uncountable)A sloping winze or road to the surface, for purposes of haulage.
23. (countable, uncountable)In a coal mine, a heading driven for exploration or ventilation.
24. (countable, uncountable)Of a boring or a driven tunnel: deviation from the intended course.
25. (countable, uncountable)A heading driven through a seam of coal.
26. (countable, uncountable)Movement.
27. (countable, uncountable)Movement.
28. (countable, uncountable)Movement.
29. (countable, uncountable)Movement.
30. (countable, uncountable)Movement.
31. (countable, uncountable)A sideways movement of the ball through the air, when bowled by a spin bowler.
32. (countable, uncountable)Slow, cumulative change.

    “genetic drift”

33. (countable, uncountable)In the New Forest National Park, UK, the bi-annual round-up of wild ponies in order to sell them.

verb

1. (intransitive)To move slowly, especially pushed by currents of water, air, etc.

   “The boat drifted away from the shore.”

   “The balloon was drifting in the breeze.”

   “One day I was out in the barn and he drifted in. I was currying the horse and he set down on the wheelbarrow and begun to ask questions.”

2. (intransitive)To move haphazardly without any destination.

   “He drifted from town to town, never settling down.”

3. (intransitive)To deviate gently from the intended direction of travel.

   “This car tends to drift left at high speeds.”

   “Midway through the half, Argentine Tevez did begin to drift inside in order to exert his influence but by this stage Mick McCarthy's side had gone 1-0 up and looked comfortable.”

4. (transitive)To drive or carry, as currents do a floating body.

   “1865-1866, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua I was drifted back first to the ante - Nicene history , and then to the Church of Alexandria”

5. (transitive)To drive into heaps.

   “A current of wind drifts snow or sand”

6. (intransitive)To accumulate in heaps by the force of wind; to be driven into heaps.

   “Snow or sand drifts.”

7. (US)To make a drift; to examine a vein or ledge for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of metals or ores; to follow a vein; to prospect.
8. (transitive)To enlarge or shape, as a hole, with a drift.
9. To oversteer a vehicle, causing loss of traction, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner. See Drifting (motorsport).