n. 1
Movement; that which moves or is moved. Anything driven at random.
n. 2
Movement; that which moves or is moved. 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.
v. 1
To move slowly, especially pushed by currents of water, air, etc.
The boat drifted away from the shore.
v. 2
To move haphazardly without any destination.
He drifted from town to town, never settling down.

Related words

Word family: driftless driftway
Phrases: drift off catch someone's drift drift anchor drift seed get someone's drift semantic drift

Forms

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

2 letters: go¹
3 letters: set¹, aim¹, sum¹, err¹
4 letters: roll¹, cast¹, blow¹, pile¹, swan¹, roam¹, rove¹
5 letters: drive¹, range¹, trend¹, scope¹, float¹, stray¹, tramp¹
6 letters: effect², stream¹, motion², import², wander², stroll¹, swerve¹, ramble²
7 letters: meaning², purpose², heading², gallery³, bearing², impetus³, deviate³
8 letters: movement², tendency³, vagabond³, straggle²
9 letters: direction³, intention³, impulsion
12 letters: accumulation⁵

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (effect² = 2 syllables).