drive someone or something back

drive someone or something back
drive someone or something back
to force someone or something away; to force someone or something to retreat. •

The infantry drove the attackers back into the desert.

They drove back the invading army.

We drove them back to the border.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • drive — drive1 [ draıv ] (past tense drove [ drouv ] ; past participle driven [ drıvn ] ) verb *** ▸ 1 control vehicle ▸ 2 provide power to move ▸ 3 push something to hit something else ▸ 4 force someone to leave ▸ 5 force someone into bad state ▸ 6 make …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • drive */*/*/ — I UK [draɪv] / US verb Word forms drive : present tense I/you/we/they drive he/she/it drives present participle driving past tense drove UK [drəʊv] / US [droʊv] past participle driven UK [ˈdrɪv(ə)n] / US 1) [intransitive/transitive] to control a… …   English dictionary

  • drive out — verb 1. force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings (Freq. 1) Drive away potential burglars drive away bad thoughts dispel doubts The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers • Syn: ↑chase away, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • back seat — n 1.) a seat at the back of a car, behind where the driver sits 2.) back seat driver informal a) a passenger in the back of a car who gives unwanted advice to the driver about how to drive b) someone in business or politics who tries to control… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • drive — drive1 W1S1 [draıv] v past tense drove [drəuv US drouv] past participle driven [ˈdrıvən] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(vehicle)¦ 2¦(make somebody move)¦ 3¦(make somebody do something)¦ 4¦(make somebody/something be in a bad state)¦ 5¦(hit/push something into… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • drive — 1 /draIv/ verb past tense drove, past participle driven / drIvFn/ 1 OPERATE A VEHICLE (I, T) to sit in a car, bus etc and make it travel from one place to another: Do you drive? | She drove the pick up and got our supplies. 2 TRAVEL SOMEWHERE (I …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • back — I [[t]bæ̱k[/t]] ADVERB USES ♦ (In addition to the uses shown below, back is also used in phrasal verbs such as date back and fall back on .) 1) ADV: ADV after v, oft ADV prep If you move back, you move in the opposite direction to the one in… …   English dictionary

  • back — 1 adverb 1 RETURN in or into the place or position where someone or something was before: Freddie was supposed to be back at the hotel by six. | Put that book back where you found it! | We d better go back, she said regretfully. 2 AS BEFORE in or …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • drive away — verb force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings (Freq. 1) Drive away potential burglars drive away bad thoughts dispel doubts The supermarket had to turn back many disappointed customers • Syn: ↑chase away, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • drive — [c]/draɪv / (say druyv) verb (drove or, Archaic, drave, driven, driving) –verb (t) 1. to send along, away, off, in, out, back, etc., by compulsion; force along. 2. to overwork; overtask. 3. to cause and guide the movement of (an animal, vehicle,… …  

  • turn back — verb 1. retrace one s course (Freq. 7) The hikers got into a storm and had to turn back • Syn: ↑backtrack, ↑double back • Hypernyms: ↑return • Verb Frames …   Useful english dictionary

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