drove

noun

1. 1

   A cattle drive, or a drive of another livestock animal (e.g. sheep). The herd being driven in a cattle (or other animal) drive; thus, a number of animals driven to market or new pastures; a group of livestock animals more generally.

2. 2

   figurativeA cattle drive, or a drive of another livestock animal (e.g. sheep). A large number of people on the move.

   in droves

3. 3

   A cattle drive, or a drive of another livestock animal (e.g. sheep). A group of other animals, especially hares when seen in coursing or hunting.

   The boy hunters had arrived at the wood grove, far off from the wary drove of hares, who resumed foraging cautiously, as before.

   she and her companion got among a regular drove of hares

   The winner got amongst a drove of hares, and was run to a stand still.

4. 4

   A road or track along which cattle are habitually, used to be or could be driven; a droveway.

5. 5

   A narrow drain or channel used in the irrigation of land.

6. 6

   A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface.

7. 7

   The grooved surface of stone finished by the drove chisel.

verb

1. 1

   Also a form of drivesimple past of drive

   I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.

   Iron and coal were the magnets that drew railways to this land of lovely valleys and silent mountains—for such it was a century-and-a-half ago, before man blackened the valleys with the smoke of his forges, scarred the green hills with his shafts and waste-heaps, and drove the salmon from the quiet Rhondda and the murmuring Taff.

2. 2

   Also a form of drivepast participle of drive

   Not the Horn-Plague, but something worse, Had drove the frighted Cucks from thence.

   Then, being on his knees between my thighs, he drew up his ſhirt, and bared all his hairy thighs, and ſtiff ſtaring truncheon, red-topt, and rooted into a thicket of curls, which cover’d his belly to his navel, and gave it the air of a fleſh-bruſh: and ſoon I felt it joining cloſe to mine, when he had drove the nail up to the head, and left no partition but the intermediate hair on both ſides.

   We are appealing to any individuals who "have" drove that road who may well have [...]

verb

1. 1

   To herd cattle; particularly over a long distance.

   He's droving now with Conroy's sheep along the Castlereagh.

   He was droving his mob of fats to Derby, to ship by the southern boat for Fremantle.

2. 2

   To finish (stone) with a drove chisel.

Forms

plural

droves

past tense

droved

past participle

droved

present participle

droving

third person singular

droves