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Word BookShort entry

Drifting

noun/ɛmbˈɪɪdˌiː/
Definition
aimless wandering from place to place
be in motion due to some air or water current
Pronunciation
🇺🇸American English
/ɛmbˈɪɪdˌiː/
🇬🇧British English
/dɹˈɪftɪŋ/
🇮🇳Indian English
/dɹˈɪftɪŋ/
2 syllables Say it as /ɛmbˈɪɪdˌiː/.
Examples
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Parts of Speech
nounaimless wandering from place to place
verbbe in motion due to some air or water current
“The leaves were blowing in the wind”
verbwander from a direct course or at random
“The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her”
verbmove about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
“The gypsies roamed the woods”
verbvary or move from a fixed point or course
“stock prices are drifting higher”
verblive unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely
“My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school”
verbmove in an unhurried fashion
“The unknown young man drifted among the invited guests”
verbcause to be carried by a current
“drift the boats downstream”
verbdrive slowly and far afield for grazing
“drift the cattle herds westwards”
verbbe subject to fluctuation
“The stock market drifted upward”
verbbe piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current
“snow drifting several feet high”
adjectivecontinually changing especially as from one abode or occupation to another
“a drifting double-dealer”
Word Forms
driftverbwander from a direct course or at random
driftnouna force that moves something along
blownouna strong current of air
strayernounsomeone who strays or falls behind
errantadjectiveuncontrolled motion that is irregular or unpredictable
driftagenounthe deviation (by a vessel or aircraft) from its intended course due to drifting
driftingnounaimless wandering from place to place
wanderernounsomeone who leads a wandering unsettled life
wanderingnountravelling about without any clear destination
straynounan animal that has strayed (especially a domestic animal)
trampnouna foot traveler; someone who goes on an extended walk (for pleasure)
roamernounsomeone who leads a wandering unsettled life
ramblenounan aimless amble on a winding course
ramblernouna person who takes long walks in the country
rovingnountravelling about without any clear destination
drifternouna wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
vagabondnouna wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
vagabondagenountravelling about without any clear destination
freewheelernounsomeone acting freely or even irresponsibly
aimlessnessnounthe quality of lacking any definite purpose
vagrantnouna wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
vagrancynounthe state of wandering from place to place; having no permanent home or means of livelihood
Around the World
Europe
🇩🇪German
driften
zielloses Wandern von Ort zu Ort
🇫🇷French
dérive
errant sans but d'un endroit à l'autre
🇪🇸Spanish
a la deriva
vagando sin rumbo de un lugar a otro
🇮🇹Italian
alla deriva
vagare senza meta da un posto all'altro
🇳🇱Dutch
drijvend
doelloos ronddwalen van plaats naar plaats
🇵🇹Portuguese
à deriva
vagando sem rumo de um lugar para outro
🇷🇺Russian
дрейфующий
бесцельное блуждание с места на место
India
🇮🇳Hindi
बहती
एक स्थान से दूसरे स्थान तक लक्ष्यहीन भटकना
🇧🇩Bengali
প্রবাহিত
জায়গায় জায়গায় লক্ষ্যহীন বিচরণ
🇮🇳Tamil
அலைதல்
இலக்கின்றி இடம் விட்டு இடம் அலைதல்
🇮🇳Telugu
డ్రిఫ్టింగ్
గమ్యం లేని చోటికి తిరుగుతోంది
🇮🇳Marathi
वाहून जाणे
ठिकाणाहून दुसऱ्या ठिकाणी उद्दिष्ट भटकणे
🇮🇳Gujarati
વહેતું
સ્થળે સ્થળે ધ્યેય વિનાનું ભટકવું
🇮🇳Kannada
ತೇಲುತ್ತಿದೆ
ಸ್ಥಳದಿಂದ ಸ್ಥಳಕ್ಕೆ ಗುರಿಯಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಅಲೆದಾಡುವುದು
🇮🇳Malayalam
ഡ്രിഫ്റ്റിംഗ്
ഒരിടത്ത് നിന്ന് മറ്റൊരിടത്തേക്ക് ലക്ഷ്യമില്ലാതെ അലഞ്ഞുതിരിയുന്നു
🇮🇳Punjabi
ਵਹਿਣਾ
ਥਾਂ-ਥਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਉਦੇਸ਼ ਰਹਿਤ ਭਟਕਣਾ
🇵🇰Urdu
بہتی
جگہ جگہ بے مقصد گھومنا
East & Southeast Asia
🇨🇳Chinese
漂流
漫无目的的从一个地方游荡到另一个地方
🇯🇵Japanese
漂流
目的もなくあちこちをさまよっている
🇰🇷Korean
표류
목적 없이 이곳 저곳을 떠돌다
🇻🇳Vietnamese
trôi dạt
lang thang không mục đích từ nơi này sang nơi khác
🇹🇭Thai
ดริฟท์
ล่องลอยจากที่หนึ่งไปยังอีกที่หนึ่งอย่างไร้จุดหมาย
🇮🇩Indonesian
melayang
mengembara tanpa tujuan dari satu tempat ke tempat lain
🇵🇭Filipino
pag-anod
walang layunin na pagala-gala sa isang lugar
🇲🇾Malay
hanyut
merayau tanpa tujuan dari satu tempat ke satu tempat
Middle East
🇸🇦Arabic
الانجراف
التجول بلا هدف من مكان إلى آخر
🇮🇷Persian
رانش
سرگردانی بی هدف از جایی به جای دیگر
🇹🇷Turkish
sürüklenen
amaçsızca bir yerden bir yere dolaşmak
🇮🇱Hebrew
נסחף
שיטוט חסר מטרה ממקום למקום
Test Yourself1 / 3
What is the primary definition of the word 'drifting'?
The primary meaning of 'drifting' is 'aimless wandering from place to place'.
Which of the following sentences uses the word 'drifting' in a grammatically correct way?
Using 'drifting' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.
In which domain is the word 'drifting' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?
'drifting' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.
Community Poll1 / 6
How often do you encounter the word 'drifting' in your daily reading?
Very Often
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you find 'drifting' easy to spell?
Yes, very easy
Somewhat easy
A bit confusing
Extremely hard
In your opinion, does the word 'drifting' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?
Positive
Neutral
Gloomy
Vibrant
Which age group is most likely to use 'drifting' in regular conversations?
Kids (3-12)
Teens (13-19)
Adults (20-60)
Seniors (60+)
How likely are you to use 'drifting' in a professional email?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very likely
Never
Would you classify 'drifting' as formal, casual, or slang?
Formal
Casual
Slang
Archaic
Pick an option to see how others voted
This word is also in the Advanced book — want the full, immersive treatment (age meanings, culture, creative use, deeper Hindi & exercises)? Open the Advanced entry →