Welcome to our fun exploration of “drive” idioms! Idioms are phrases that mean something different than the words themselves might suggest. They make language colorful and can be quite funny too. Today, we’ll learn about idioms that include the word “drive” or are related to driving. Let’s dive in and discover what they mean and see them used in simple sentences!
Drive Idioms
Here are 20 drive idioms in English.
1. Drive someone up the wall
Meaning: To irritate someone greatly
Example: His loud music is driving me up the wall.
2. Drive a hard bargain
Meaning: To negotiate strictly
Example: She always drives a hard bargain at flea markets.
3. Drive home
Meaning: To emphasize a point strongly
Example: He drove home the importance of safety.
4. Backseat driver
Meaning: A person who gives unwanted advice
Example: Stop being a backseat driver!
5. Drive someone crazy
Meaning: To annoy or frustrate someone
Example: This puzzle is driving me crazy.
6. Drive-by
Meaning: Done quickly in passing
Example: He did a drive-by greeting at the party.
7. Drive the point home
Meaning: To emphasize a point strongly
Example: She really drove the point home in her speech.
8. Test drive
Meaning: To try something before buying
Example: Let’s test drive the car before we decide.
9. Drive for show
Meaning: To do something for appearance’s sake
Example: He’s just driving for show.
10. Drive the conversation
Meaning: To lead the discussion
Example: She drove the conversation at the meeting.
11. Drive into the ground
Meaning: To overuse or exhaust something
Example: Don’t drive the joke into the ground.
12. Drive someone to despair
Meaning: To make someone feel hopeless
Example: His harsh words drove her to despair.
13. Drive up demand
Meaning: To increase desire or need for something
Example: The scarcity drove up the demand.
14. Drive one’s point across
Meaning: To make one’s opinion clear
Example: He drove his point across during the debate.
15. Sunday driver
Meaning: A slow and leisurely driver
Example: Look at that Sunday driver!
16. Drive innovation
Meaning: To push for new ideas
Example: This company drives innovation.
17. Drive away
Meaning: To leave a place in a vehicle
Example: He drove away in a hurry.
18. Drive out
Meaning: To force someone or something to leave
Example: They drove the thieves out.
19. Drive forward
Meaning: To push towards progress
Example: We need to drive forward with these plans.
20. Drive oneself too hard
Meaning: To push oneself beyond reasonable limits
Example: She often drives herself too hard at work.
