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

back up ()

to make a car go backwards

belt up ()

to put on a seat belt in a car

be on someone’s tail ()

to drive very close behind another car

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, plane etc

burn rubber ()

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

bus (verb)

to take someone somewhere by bus

bypass (verb)

to avoid the centre of a town or city by using a road that goes round it

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 travelling 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 pedalling with your legs

corner (verb)

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

cruise (verb)

to travel at a steady speed in a car or plane

cut in ()

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

cut out (mainly American)

mainly American to suddenly leave a line of traffic and join another one

cut up (British)

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

decelerate (verb)

formal to move, progress, or drive more slowly

dip your lights/headlights ()

to make the lights at the front of your car point downwards

do a ton ()

to drive at 100 miles an hour

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 drive a particular type of vehicle regularly

drive (verb)

to get somewhere by driving a car

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

freewheel (verb)

to move on a bicycle without moving the pedals, or to move in a car without switching on the engine, usually down a slope

give way ()

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

gun (verb)

mainly American 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 bends

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 that you intend to change direction 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 jump-start a car

jump-start (verb)

to start a car by connecting its engine to another car’s engine with jump leads

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

overhaul (verb)

to reach a person or vehicle moving in front of you, and then go past them, especially in sports competitions. A more usual word is overtake.

overtake (verb)

British to go past another vehicle that is travelling in the same direction

pass (verb)

mainly American to overtake another vehicle that is travelling in the same direction

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

push-start (verb)

British to push a car in order to make it start

rev (verb)

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

reverse (verb)

to go backwards 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 whether a vehicle works well by driving it on the road

run (verb)

to own and use a motor vehicle

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)

mainly American 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 backwards, 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)

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

turning circle (noun)

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

turn off ()

to leave the road that you are travelling 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