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Drift vs. Glide — What's the Difference?

Drift vs. Glide — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Drift and Glide

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Drift

Be carried slowly by a current of air or water
The cabin cruiser started to drift downstream
Excited voices drifted down the hall

Glide

To move in a smooth, effortless manner
A submarine gliding through the water.

Drift

(especially of snow or leaves) be blown into heaps by the wind
Fallen leaves start to drift in the gutters

Glide

To move silently and furtively
The thief glided across the room.

Drift

A continuous slow movement from one place to another
There was a drift to the towns
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Glide

To occur or pass imperceptibly
The autumn days glided by.

Drift

The general intention or meaning of an argument or someone's remarks
Maybe I'm too close to the forest to see the trees, if you catch my drift
He didn't understand much Greek, but he got her drift

Glide

To fly without propulsion from wings or an engine.

Drift

A large mass of snow, leaves, or other material piled up or carried along by the wind
Four sheep were dug out of the drift

Glide

(Music) To blend one tone into the next; slur.

Drift

A horizontal or inclined passage following a mineral vein or coal seam
The drift led to another smaller ore chamber

Glide

(Linguistics) To articulate a glide in speech.

Drift

An act of driving cattle or sheep.

Glide

To cause to move or pass smoothly, silently, or imperceptibly
Glided the key into the lock.

Drift

A ford.

Glide

To operate or fly (an aircraft) without propulsion from wings or an engine
She glided the paraglider over the trees.

Drift

To be carried along by currents of air or water
A balloon drifting eastward.
As the wreckage drifted toward shore.

Glide

The act of gliding.

Drift

To proceed or move unhurriedly or aimlessly
Drifting among the party guests.
A day laborer, drifting from town to town.

Glide

(Music) A slur.

Drift

To live or behave without a clear purpose or goal
Drifted through his college years unable to decide on a career.

Glide

The transitional sound produced by passing from the articulatory position of one speech sound to that of another.

Drift

To have no continuing focus; stray
My attention drifted during the boring presentation.

Glide

See semivowel.

Drift

To vary from or oscillate randomly about a fixed setting, position, or mode of operation.

Glide

(intransitive) To move softly, smoothly, or effortlessly.

Drift

To be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of a current
Snow drifting to five feet.

Glide

(intransitive) To fly unpowered, as of an aircraft. Also relates to gliding birds and flying fish.

Drift

To cause to be carried in a current
Drifting the logs downstream.

Glide

(transitive) To cause to glide.

Drift

To pile up in banks or heaps
Wind drifted the loose straw against the barn.

Glide

(phonetics) To pass with a glide, as the voice.

Drift

Western US To drive (livestock) slowly or far afield, especially for grazing.

Glide

The act of gliding.

Drift

Something moving along in a current of air or water
A drift of logs in the river.

Glide

(phonology) A transitional sound, especially a semivowel.

Drift

A bank or pile, as of sand or snow, heaped up by currents of air or water.

Glide

(fencing) An attack or preparatory movement made by sliding down the opponent’s blade, keeping it in constant contact.

Drift

(Geology) Rock debris transported and deposited by or from ice, especially by or from a glacier.

Glide

A bird, the glede or kite.

Drift

A general trend or tendency, as of opinion.

Glide

A kind of cap affixed to the base of the legs of furniture to prevent it from damaging the floor.

Drift

General meaning or purport; tenor
Caught the drift of the conversation.

Glide

The joining of two sounds without a break.

Drift

A gradual change in position
An iceberg's eastward drift.

Glide

A smooth and sliding step in dancing the waltz.

Drift

A gradual deviation from an original course, model, method, or intention.

Glide

The glede or kite.

Drift

Variation or random oscillation about a fixed setting, position, or mode of behavior.

Glide

The act or manner of moving smoothly, swiftly, and without labor or obstruction.
They prey at last ensnared, he dreadful darts,With rapid glide, along the leaning line.
Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself,And with indented glides did slip away.

Drift

A gradual change in the output of a circuit or amplifier.

Glide

A transitional sound in speech which is produced by the changing of the mouth organs from one definite position to another, and with gradual change in the most frequent cases; as in passing from the begining to the end of a regular diphthong, or from vowel to consonant or consonant to vowel in a syllable, or from one component to the other of a double or diphthongal consonant (see Guide to Pronunciation, 19, 161, 162). Also (by Bell and others), the vanish (or brief final element) or the brief initial element, in a class of diphthongal vowels, or the brief final or initial part of some consonants (see Guide to Pronunciation, 18, 97, 191).

Drift

The rate of flow of a water current.

Glide

Movement of a glider, aëroplane, etc., through the air under gravity or its own movement.

Drift

A tool for ramming or driving something down.

Glide

To move gently and smoothly; to pass along without noise, violence, or apparent effort; to pass rapidly and easily, or with a smooth, silent motion, as a river in its channel, a bird in the air, a skater over ice.
The river glideth at his own sweet will.

Drift

A tapered steel pin for enlarging and aligning holes.

Glide

To pass with a glide, as the voice.

Drift

A horizontal or nearly horizontal passageway in a mine running through or parallel to a vein.

Glide

To move through the air by virtue of gravity or momentum; to volplane.

Drift

A secondary mine passageway between two main shafts or tunnels.

Glide

A vowel-like sound that serves as a consonant

Drift

A drove or herd, especially of swine.

Glide

The act of moving smoothly along a surface while remaining in contact with it;
His slide didn't stop until the bottom of the hill
The children lined up for a coast down the snowy slope

Drift

(physical) Movement; that which moves or is moved.

Glide

The activity of flying a glider

Drift

Anything driven at random.

Glide

Move smoothly and effortlessly

Drift

A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc., especially by wind or water.
A drift of snow, of ice, of sand, of plants, etc.

Glide

Fly in or as if in a glider plane

Drift

The distance through which a current flows in a given time.

Glide

Cause to move or pass silently, smoothly, or imperceptibly

Drift

A drove or flock, as of cattle, sheep, birds.

Drift

A collection of loose earth and rocks, or boulders, which have been distributed over large portions of the earth's surface, especially in latitudes north of forty degrees, by the retreat of continental glaciers, such as that which buries former river valleys and creates young river valleys.

Drift

Driftwood included in flotsam washed up onto the beach.

Drift

(obsolete) A driving; a violent movement.

Drift

Course or direction along which anything is driven; setting.

Drift

That which is driven, forced, or urged along.

Drift

The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.

Drift

A place (a ford) along a river where the water is shallow enough to permit crossing to the opposite side.

Drift

The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.

Drift

(architecture) The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.

Drift

(handiwork) A tool.

Drift

A slightly tapered tool of steel for enlarging or shaping a hole in metal, by being forced or driven into or through it; a broach.

Drift

A tool used to pack down the composition contained in a rocket, or like firework.

Drift

A tool used to insert or extract a removable pin made of metal or hardwood, for the purpose of aligning and/or securing two pieces of material together.

Drift

A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to obloid projectiles.

Drift

(uncountable) Minor deviation of audio or video playback from its correct speed.

Drift

The situation where a performer gradually and unintentionally moves from their proper location within the scene.

Drift

(mining) A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery; an adit or tunnel.

Drift

(nautical) Movement.

Drift

The angle which the line of a ship's motion makes with the meridian, in drifting.

Drift

The distance a vessel is carried off from her desired course by the wind, currents, or other causes.

Drift

The place in a deep-waisted vessel where the sheer is raised and the rail is cut off, and usually terminated with a scroll, or driftpiece.

Drift

The distance between the two blocks of a tackle.

Drift

The difference between the size of a bolt and the hole into which it is driven, or between the circumference of a hoop and that of the mast on which it is to be driven.

Drift

(cricket) A sideways movement of the ball through the air, when bowled by a spin bowler.

Drift

Slow, cumulative change.
Genetic drift

Drift

In New Forest National Park, UK, the bi-annual round-up of wild ponies in order to be sold.

Drift

(intransitive) To move slowly, especially pushed by currents of water, air, etc.
The boat drifted away from the shore.
The balloon was drifting in the breeze.

Drift

(intransitive) To move haphazardly without any destination.
He drifted from town to town, never settling down.

Drift

(intransitive) To deviate gently from the intended direction of travel.
This car tends to drift left at high speeds.

Drift

(transitive) To drive or carry, as currents do a floating body.

Drift

(transitive) To drive into heaps.
A current of wind drifts snow or sand

Drift

(intransitive) To accumulate in heaps by the force of wind; to be driven into heaps.
Snow or sand drifts.

Drift

To make a drift; to examine a vein or ledge for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of metals or ores; to follow a vein; to prospect.

Drift

To enlarge or shape, as a hole, with a drift.

Drift

(automotive) To oversteer a vehicle, causing loss of traction, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner. See Drifting (motorsport).

Drift

A driving; a violent movement.
The dragon drew him [self] away with drift of his wings.

Drift

The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.
A bad man, being under the drift of any passion, will follow the impulse of it till something interpose.

Drift

Course or direction along which anything is driven; setting.

Drift

The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.
He has made the drift of the whole poem a compliment on his country in general.
Now thou knowest my drift.

Drift

That which is driven, forced, or urged along
Drifts of rising dust involve the sky.
We got the brig a good bed in the rushing drift [of ice].

Drift

A drove or flock, as of cattle, sheep, birds.
Cattle coming over the bridge (with their great drift doing much damage to the high ways).

Drift

The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.

Drift

A collection of loose earth and rocks, or boulders, which have been distributed over large portions of the earth's surface, especially in latitudes north of forty degrees, by the agency of ice.

Drift

In South Africa, a ford in a river.

Drift

A slightly tapered tool of steel for enlarging or shaping a hole in metal, by being forced or driven into or through it; a broach.

Drift

A tool used in driving down compactly the composition contained in a rocket, or like firework.

Drift

A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery; an adit or tunnel.

Drift

The distance through which a current flows in a given time.

Drift

The difference between the size of a bolt and the hole into which it is driven, or between the circumference of a hoop and that of the mast on which it is to be driven.

Drift

One of the slower movements of oceanic circulation; a general tendency of the water, subject to occasional or frequent diversion or reversal by the wind; as, the easterly drift of the North Pacific.

Drift

The horizontal component of the pressure of the air on the sustaining surfaces of a flying machine. The lift is the corresponding vertical component, which sustains the machine in the air.

Drift

To float or be driven along by, or as by, a current of water or air; as, the ship drifted astern; a raft drifted ashore; the balloon drifts slowly east.
We drifted o'er the harbor bar.

Drift

To accumulate in heaps by the force of wind; to be driven into heaps; as, snow or sand drifts.

Drift

To make a drift; to examine a vein or ledge for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of metals or ores; to follow a vein; to prospect.

Drift

To drive or carry, as currents do a floating body.

Drift

To drive into heaps; as, a current of wind drifts snow or sand.

Drift

To enlarge or shape, as a hole, with a drift.

Drift

That causes drifting or that is drifted; movable by wind or currents; as, drift currents; drift ice; drift mud.

Drift

A force that moves something along

Drift

The gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane)

Drift

A process of linguistic change over a period of time

Drift

Something that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents

Drift

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

Drift

General meaning or tenor;
Caught the drift of the conversation

Drift

A horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine;
They dug a drift parallel with the vein

Drift

Be in motion due to some air or water current;
The leaves were blowing in the wind
The boat drifted on the lake
The sailboat was adrift on the open sea
The shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore

Drift

Wander from a direct course or at random;
The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her
Don't drift from the set course

Drift

Move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment;
The gypsies roamed the woods
Roving vagabonds
The wandering Jew
The cattle roam across the prairie
The laborers drift from one town to the next
They rolled from town to town

Drift

Vary or move from a fixed point or course;
Stock prices are drifting higher

Drift

Live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely;
My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school

Drift

Move in an unhurried fashion;
The unknown young man drifted among the invited guests

Drift

Cause to be carried by a current;
Drift the boats downstream

Drift

Drive slowly and far afield for grazing;
Drift the cattle herds westwards

Drift

Be subject to fluctuation;
The stock market drifted upward

Drift

Be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current;
Snow drifting several feet high
Sand drifting like snow

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