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drive
often washed onto the shore: After the storm they made a fire
from the driftwood on the beach.
drill¹ /drɪl/ n 1 [C] a tool or machine for making holes: a
road drill | a dentist's drill 2 [C,U] (a piece of) training and
instruction in a subject or for a purpose, especially by means
of repeating and following exact orders: The soldiers do rifle
drill in the mornings. | a fire drill (=practice in dealing with
fire in a building) | a grammar drill for students of Eng-
lish 3 [the] BrE infml the correct way of doing something
effectively; PROCEDURE: What's the drill for getting money
after four o'clock?
drill² v 1 [I,T] to use a drill on (something): to drill for oil | to
drill someone's teeth | The workmen are drilling (in) the
road. 2 [T] to make with a drill or use a drill on: to drill a
hole in the wall | to drill an old filling out of a
tooth 3 [I,T] a) to train (soldiers) in military move-
ments b) to practise military movements under instruc-
tion 4 [T] a) [iŋ] to instruct and exercise (students) by the
repeating of words, actions etc: drilling the class in the use of
the past tense b) [+obj+in, into] to teach (facts) in this way:
She drilled it into the children that they must say 'Thank you'
to their hostess.
drill³ n 1 a machine for planting seeds in rows 2 a row of
seeds planted in this way
drill⁴ n [U] a type of strong cotton cloth: drill trousers
dri-ly /'draɪli/ adv → see DRY
drink¹ /drɪŋk/ v drank /dræŋk/, drunk /drʌŋk/ 1 [I,T(UP)] to
move (liquid) from the mouth down the throat; swallow:
Drink (up) your tea before it gets cold. 2 [I] to use alcohol,
especially habitually or too much: He doesn't smoke or
drink. | You shouldn't drink and drive. (=drive a car after
drinking alcohol) | He drinks like a fish. (=drinks a lot of
alcohol) | I only drink socially. (=only drink at parties, social
occasions etc) 3 [I,(to);T] to have an alcoholic drink in order
to wish someone success, health etc: Let's drink to your
success in your new job! | We drank a toast to the bride and
groom. → see also HEALTH 4 [T+obj+adv/prep] to bring to a
stated condition by drinking alcohol: He drank himself into
unconsciousness. | He drank his troubles away. 5 drink
someone under the table infml to drink much more alcohol
than someone without becoming drunk
drink sthg. in phr v [T] to receive through the senses,
especially eagerly: They drank in the sights and sounds of the
city.
drink² n [C,U] 1 (an amount of) a liquid suitable for drink-
ing: Would you like a drink of water? | Have you any soft
drinks? (=non-alcoholic cold drinks) 2 (a glass, measure etc
of) alcohol for drinking: Have another drink! | There's no
drink in the house. | The continual quarrelling drove her to
drink. (=made her begin to drink a lot of alcohol) | He has a
drink problem. (=he habitually drinks too much) | Don't
forget we're invited to the Willises for drinks Sunday lunch-
time. → see also DRINKS PARTY, HARD DRINK
drink-a-ble /'drɪŋkəbəl/ adj suitable or safe for drinking
drink-'driving BrE || drunk driving AmE — n [U] the act of
driving while under the influence of alcohol: Although more
breath tests for drink driving were given, the number of
positive results dropped. —drink-driver || drunk driver n
CULTURAL NOTE It is illegal to drive in the US and UK if
you have drunk more than the legal limit of alcohol. If the
police stop you when you are driving and believe that you
may have drunk too much alcohol, they will usually
BREATHALYSE you (=test your breath using special
equipment) to find out how much alcohol you have drunk.
In the US and the UK, drink-driving is considered a very
serious crime, for which you can be put in prison, lose
your legal right to drive, or have to pay a large FINE. There
are many advertisements, especially during the Christmas
period, that try to persuade people not to drink and drive.
Some large cities even offer free transportation on New
Year's Eve so that people will not drive while they are
drunk. → see also MADD
drink-er /'drɪŋkər/ n a person who drinks alcohol, especially
too much: a hard drinker
'drinking ,fountain n an apparatus, usually in a public
place, that provides water for drinking
,drinking-'up ,time n [U] in Britain, a period of time
allowed in a place where alcoholic drinks are sold, for
people to finish their drinks after the official closing time →
see Feature on page A24
'drinking ,water n [U] water that is pure enough for people
to drink
'drinks ma,chine also coffee machine n a machine
which makes and serves hot drinks when one puts in money
'drinks ,party BrE || cocktail party AmE — n a party at
which alcohol is the main thing offered. MIDDLE- or UPPER-
CLASS people might invite their neighbours for drinks at
midday on a Saturday or Sunday. Drinks parties are often
quite large: a farewell drinks party for one of my colleagues
drip¹ /drɪp/ v -pp- 1 [DOWN];T] to fall or let fall in drops:
Water is dripping (down) from the roof. | The roof is dripping
water. 2 [I] to produce small drops of liquid: a dripping tap
drip with sthg. phr v [T] to be very full of or covered with:
The woman was dripping with expensive jewels.
drip² n 1 [S] the action or sound of falling in drops: All night
I heard the drip drip drip of the water. 2 [C] a piece of
medical equipment used for putting liquid from a tube
directly into a patient's bloodstream: The patient was put on
a drip after her operation. 3 [C] slang an uninteresting
unconfident person without a strong character
,drip-'dry adj (of clothing) that will dry smooth and needs no
ironing after being hung while it is wet: a drip-dry shirt
—drip-dry v [I,T]
drip-ping¹ /'drɪpɪŋ/ also drippings pl. AmE— n [U] the fat
that has come from meat during cooking
CULTURAL NOTE Some old people think that dripping is
very tasty and have childhood memories of eating bread
and dripping. Other people think it is unhealthy and
unpleasant and would not want to eat it.
dripping² adj, adv very wet: I'm absolutely dripping. | a
dripping wet towel
drive¹ /draɪv/ v drove /drəʊv/, driven /'drɪvən/ 1 [I,T] to
move or travel in (a vehicle with more than two wheels)
while guiding and controlling it: to drive a car/train/bus |
Shall we stop for lunch or shall we drive on? (=continue
driving) | They drove to the station. | He loaded the van and
drove off. | I'm learning to drive. → compare
RIDE¹ 2 [T+obj+adv/prep] to take (someone) in a vehicle: Can
you drive me to the station? 3 [T+obj+adv/prep] to force to go:
The farmer was driving his cattle along the road. | The bad
weather has driven the tourists away. | The firemen were
driven back by the flames. | The shortage of bread will
probably drive prices up. 4 [T] to provide the power for: The
engines drive the ship. 5 [T+obj+adv/prep] to force to go some-
where by hitting: to drive the nail into/through the
wood 6 [T+obj+adv/prep] to produce by opening a way: to drive
a tunnel through a mountain/under a river 7 [T] to force
(someone) into a usually unpleasant condition or undesir-
able course of action: [+obj+adv/prep] Continual failure drove
him to despair/to drink. | That noise is driving me out of my
mind. | [+obj+adj] The pain nearly drove her mad. | [+obj+to-v]
Poverty and hunger drove them to steal. 8 [I] (especially of
rain) to move along with great force: driving rain 9 drive a
coach and horses through (to destroy an argument, case
etc): The new evidence drove a coach and horses through the
case against them. 10 drive a hard bargain to get an
agreement very much in one's own favour 11 drive some-
thing home (to) to make something unmistakably clear (to):
The accident at the factory really drove home (to us) the point
that safety regulations must be observed.
If you are in control of a car you drive it, if you are
in control of a ship you pilot it, and if you are in control
of a bicycle you ride it. If you direct the course of a car,
ship, or bicycle you steer it. But when talking about a
plane, the words fly and pilot mean both being in control
of it and directing its course: to fly/pilot an aeroplane →
see also CAR (USAGE), TRANSPORT (USAGE)
drive at sthg. phr v [T no pass.; in progressive forms] infml to mean
or suggest indirectly; HINT: What are you driving at?
drive off phr v 1 [T[drive sbdy/sthg. ↔ off]] to force away or
back; REPEL: They drove off their attackers. 2 [I] (in the game
of GOLF) to make the first stroke