DROVE
What does "DROVE" mean?
The past tense of 'drive'; also a herd or large moving crowd.
Meanings
- Past tense of 'drive': operated a vehicle, or compelled something forward. She drove all night to reach the coast by sunrise.
- A herd or flock of animals driven together in a body. A drove of cattle filled the narrow lane.
- A large crowd of people moving together. Fans came in droves to the stadium gates.
Word origin
The noun is from Old English 'draf', a herd being driven, from the verb 'drifan' (to drive); 'drove' as the past tense of 'drive' comes from the same Old English verb's strong-verb forms.
Remember it
A DROVE of cattle is what a cowboy DROVE down the trail - same word, two herds of meaning.
A little poem
Dust on the lane, a hundred backs in motion,
one whistle steers the slow brown ocean-
and what once scattered moves with one devotion.
tercet
Wordplay
- The rancher said his cattle came in droves. The grammar teacher said his sentences did too.
What it teaches
Whether a herd or a habit, a crowd moves easiest in the direction it was last pushed.
Quick facts
What does DROVE mean?
The past tense of 'drive'; also a herd or large moving crowd.
Is DROVE a valid word?
Yes — DROVE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is DROVE?
DROVE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does DROVE come from?
The noun is from Old English 'draf', a herd being driven, from the verb 'drifan' (to drive); 'drove' as the past tense of 'drive' comes from the same Old English verb's strong-verb forms.
What can DROVE teach us?
Whether a herd or a habit, a crowd moves easiest in the direction it was last pushed.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.