drift

/ˈdrift/

Middle English; akin to Old English drīfan to drive

noun

  1. the act of driving something along

  2. the flow or the velocity of the current of a river or ocean stream

  3. something driven, propelled, or urged along or drawn together in a clump by or as if by a natural agency: such as

tendency trend drift tenor current mean movement in a particular direction. tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force. trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.

verb

  1. to become driven or carried along (as by a current of water, wind, or air)

  2. to move or float smoothly and effortlessly

  3. to move along a line of least resistance

a balloon drifting in the wind

noun

  1. a stretch of fence on rangeland especially in the western U.S. for preventing cattle from drifting from their home range