drove
A cattle drive, or a drive of another livestock animalA 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.
» Doctors were quitting smoking in droves.
Врачи массово бросали курить.
Meaning
7 sensesA cattle drive, or a drive of another livestock animal (e.g. sheep).
(collective)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.
Herde
гуртgurt, ста́доstádo
табунtabun, стадоstado
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
(broadly, figuratively, usually plural)A large number of people on the move.
in droves
Schar
толпа́tolpá
(collective)A group of other animals, especially hares when seen in coursing or hunting.
A road or track along which cattle are habitually, used to be or could be driven; a droveway.
A narrow drain or channel used in the irrigation of land.
A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface.
a stonemason's chisel with a broad edge for dressing stone
The grooved surface of stone finished by the drove chisel.
Examples
6 sentencesDoctors were quitting smoking in droves.
ruВрачи массово бросали курить.
Birds began flying away in droves.
Tourists are out in droves in the city centre.
ruПо центру города толпами ходят туристы.
deIn der Innenstadt sind in Scharen Touristen unterwegs.
The seagulls left in droves.
The shoppers clamored in droves.
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From Middle English drove, drof, draf, from Old English drāf (“action of driving; a drivinFrom Middle English drove, drof, draf, from Old English drāf (“action of driving; a driving out, expulsion; drove, herd, band; company, band; road along which cattle are driven”), from Proto-Germanic *draibō (“a drive, push, movement, drove”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”). Cognate with Scots drave, dreef (“drove, crowd”), Dutch dreef (“a walkway, wide road with trees, drove”), Middle High German treip (“a drove”), Swedish drev (“a drive, drove”), Icelandic dreif (“a scattering, distribution”). More at drive.
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Forms
plural: drovesSynonyms
4 synonyms- a stonemason's chisel with a broad edge for dressing stone:drove chisel
- a moving crowd:hordeswarm