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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