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drove

noun
\ ˈdrōv How to pronounce drove (audio) \

Definition of drove

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a group of animals driven or moving in a body
2 : a large number : crowd —usually used in plural especially with in came in droves

drove

Definition of drove (Entry 2 of 2)

past tense of drive

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Synonyms for drove

Synonyms: Noun

army, bike [chiefly Scottish], cram, crowd, crush, flock, herd, horde, host, legion, mass, mob, multitude, press, rout, scrum, swarm, throng

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Examples of drove in a Sentence

Noun

 people flocked to the annual festival in droves

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 Around Bordeaux, for example, families seeking space have moved in droves onto what used to be farmed lands, building homes amid vineyards. — BostonGlobe.com, "PARIS — When tractors laden with pesticides and other chemicals start spraying the vineyards that produce fruity Bordeaux wines, Marie-Lys Bibeyran’s phone starts to ring.," 12 Sep. 2019 Over the next three weeks, friends and family visited in droves, Wells said. — oregonlive, "Exclusive: Lung doctors tell why and how Oregon vaping victim died," 11 Sep. 2019 Faces like Kaia Gerber, G Eazy, and Lourdes Leon flocked to Chelsea in droves for the bash. — Vogue, "Inside Alan Faena’s All-White Hideout, Where Fashion Week’s Finest Came to Play," 6 Sep. 2019 But to those who seek challenging and novel musical experiences, High Zero has that in droves. — Mary Carole Mccauley, baltimoresun.com, "Top Baltimore arts events for fall 2019," 29 Aug. 2019 As for Barrett’s comrade Zion Williamson, his nine minutes of play for the Pelicans were nothing but a brief cameo, dimming some of the tangible excitement that brought fans out in droves for his debut. — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, "Top 10 Rookie Takeaways From NBA Summer League," 16 July 2019 Fans came out in droves for the final homestand of the first half. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "Rockies can’t afford defense to be a question mark heading into second half of season," 5 July 2019 Plus those trades ruined all those mocks that's been coming out in droves for weeks. — Duane Rankin, azcentral, "What was that? NBA draft needs to fix the process when it comes to trades," 21 June 2019 Longtime customers still straggle in for beer and alcoholic drinks, but now people come in droves from all over for good food. — Marilyn Hagerty, Bon Appetit, "Marilyn Hagerty, of Viral Olive Garden Restaurant Review Fame, Reviews the Broken Drum in North Dakota," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drove.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of drove

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for drove

Noun

Middle English, from Old English drāf, from drīfan to drive — more at drive

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More Definitions for drove

drove

noun
How to pronounce drove (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of drove

: a large group of people or animals that move or act together

See the full definition for drove in the English Language Learners Dictionary

drove

noun
\ ˈdrōv How to pronounce drove (audio) \

Kids Definition of drove

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a large group of animals or people moving or acting together droves of shoppers

drove

Kids Definition of drove (Entry 2 of 2)

past tense of drive

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More from Merriam-Webster on drove

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with drove

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for drove

Spanish Central: Translation of drove

Nglish: Translation of drove for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of drove for Arabic Speakers

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