a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine; "they dug a drift parallel with the vein"
the pervading meaning or tenor; "caught the general 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 in an unhurried fashion; "The unknown young man drifted among the invited guests"
vary or move from a fixed point or course; "stock prices are drifting higher"
the act of changing location from one place to another; "police controlled the motion of the crowd"; "the movement of people from the farms to the cities"; "his move put him directly in my path"
a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility"
a formal proposal for action made to a deliberative assembly for discussion and vote; "he made a motion to adjourn"; "she called for the question"
a state of change; "they were in a state of steady motion"
the official act of consigning a person to confinement (as in a prison or mental hospital)
the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action; "his long commitment to public service"; "they felt no loyalty to a losing team"
an engagement by contract involving financial obligation; "his business commitments took him to London"