Synonyms and antonyms of To drive, or to operate a vehicle in American Thesaurus

back up ()

to make a car go backward

block in ()

to stop someone from moving their car out of a place

box in ()

to surround a person or vehicle, so that they cannot move or leave a place

buckle up ()

to fasten your seat belt in a car, airplane, etc.

burn rubber ()

in a car, to accelerate so fast that the wheels spin and smoke comes off the tires

bus (verb)

to take someone somewhere by bus

bypass (verb)

to avoid the center of a town or city by using a road that goes around it

car-pool (verb)

American if a group of car owners car-pool, they agree to travel together to work, school, etc., so that only one car is used at a time

carry (verb)

if a vehicle carries someone or something somewhere, it takes them there

carve up (British)

Britishinformal to drive past another car that is traveling in the same direction as you and then move in front of it too soon

change down ()

to start driving in a lower gear

change gear/gears ()

to start using a different gear when you are driving a car or riding a bicycle

change up ()

to start driving in a higher gear

chauffeur (verb)

to drive a rich and important person around in their car as your job, usually wearing a special uniform

coast (verb)

to continue to move in a car or on a bicycle after you have switched off the engine or have stopped pedaling with your legs

corner (verb)

if a car corners, it moves around a corner or curve in the road

cruise (verb)

to travel at a steady speed in a car or airplane

cut in ()

to drive past a vehicle and move quickly in front of it in a dangerous way

cut out ()

to suddenly leave a line of traffic and join another one

deadhead (verb)

American to drive a train or bus that is carrying no passengers or goods on it

decelerate (verb)

formal to move, progress, or drive more slowly

do doughnuts ()

to make your car spin in tight circles, especially on ice

downshift (verb)

American to change to a lower gear when driving a car

drive (verb)

to control a vehicle so that it moves somewhere

drive (verb)

to know how to drive a vehicle

drive (verb)

to get somewhere by driving a car

drive (verb)

to drive a particular type of vehicle regularly

drive off ()

if a vehicle or driver drives off, the vehicle starts moving and leaves

drive up ()

if a vehicle or driver drives up, the vehicle moves near to a person or place and stops

ferry (verb)

informal to take someone by car to different places

fetch (verb)

to go to where someone is and bring them home, especially in your car

floor (verb)

Americaninformal to press the accelerator of a vehicle down to the floor in order to increase its speed

give way (mainly British)

mainly British to allow another vehicle to go before you when you are driving. The usual American word is yield

gun (verb)

to make a car engine work very quickly by pressing your foot on the accelerator

gun (verb)

American to start driving a car very fast

handle (verb)

if a vehicle handles well or badly, it is easy or difficult to control

handling (noun)

the handling of a vehicle is how easy it is to control

hang a left/right ()

to turn left or right when you are driving

hang a U-ey (Australian)

Australianinformal to do a U-turn (=in which you turn a vehicle round to face the opposite direction)

hold the road ()

if a vehicle holds the road well, it is easy to control, even when you drive fast around curves

hypermiling (noun)

the act of driving using methods that are intended to use fuel in the most efficient way without wasting any

indicate (verb)

British to signal a turn in a vehicle by using an indicator

jam on the brakes/jam the brakes on ()

to put your foot very suddenly and hard on the brake of a vehicle because you want to stop quickly

jump (verb)

American to start a car by connecting it to another car

jump-start (verb)

to start a car by connecting its engine to another car’s engine with jumper cables

jump the curb ()

if a vehicle or driver jumps the curb, they drive up onto the sidewalk

lean on ()

to press the horn of a car in a determined way

low gear (noun)

any of the gears that you use when you are driving slowly or up a hill

motoring (adjective)

relating to cars or the activity of driving them

move off ()

if a vehicle moves off, it starts to move

overtake (verb)

British to pass another vehicle

pass (verb)

to go past another vehicle

peel out ()

to suddenly make a car start moving very quickly so that it makes a lot of noise

pick up ()

to take someone who is waiting by the road into your vehicle and take them somewhere

pull away ()

if a vehicle or driver pulls away, they start to move

pull in ()

if a vehicle or driver pulls in somewhere, they stop there

pull into ()

if a vehicle or driver pulls into a place, they stop there

pull off ()

if a vehicle or driver pulls off a road, they stop by the side of it

pull out ()

if a vehicle or driver pulls out, they move onto a road or onto a part of a road where the traffic is moving faster

pull over ()

if a vehicle or driver pulls over, they stop by the side of the road

pull up ()

if a vehicle or driver pulls up, they stop

rev (verb)

if you rev an engine, or if it revs, you press the gas pedal with your foot when the vehicle is not moving in order to make the engine operate faster

reverse (verb)

to go backward in a vehicle, or to make a vehicle do this

road test (noun)

a test to check whether a vehicle works well, done by driving it on the road

road-test (verb)

to test something, especially a vehicle, to check that it works well on the road

run (verb)

informal to take someone somewhere in your car

set down (British)

Britishformal to stop a vehicle so that a passenger can get out

shift (verb)

to change from one gear to another when you are driving a car

speed (verb)

to drive a car faster than the fastest speed legally allowed

spin (verb)

to go somewhere quickly in a car, on a bicycle, etc.

steer (verb)

to control the direction in which a vehicle moves

tailgate (verb)

to drive very close to the vehicle in front of you

three-point turn (noun)

a way of turning your car around in which you turn and drive to face one side of the road, then drive backward, and then turn and drive in the direction that you came from

throttle up ()

to increase the speed of a vehicle by increasing the supply of fuel to the engine

tool (verb)

informal to drive a vehicle, especially in a relaxed way or without any specific purpose

turning circle (noun)

British a turning radius

turning radius (noun)

American the smallest amount of space in which a vehicle can move in a complete circle

turn off ()

to leave the road that you are traveling along in order to go along another one that leads away from it

U-turn (noun)

an act of turning a vehicle in order to travel in the opposite direction

yield (verb)

American to allow another vehicle to go before you when you are driving