drive home

IPA/dɹˈaɪv hˈəʊm/
IPA/dɹˈaɪv hˈoʊm/

drive home — idiom

1. to explain a point so strongly and repeat it in such a forceful way that the lis

1.idiomB2
Definition

to explain a point so strongly and repeat it in such a forceful way that the listener fully takes it in and cannot ignore it.

Example

The coach used real match clips to drive home the value of teamwork.

drive home + abstract noun (a lesson or value)

To drive home his point, Bilal banged his fist on the table twice.

drive home + one's point

Common collocations
  • drive home the point
  • drive home the message
  • drive home a lesson
  • drive home the danger
  • really drive home
Synonyms
  • emphasise

    neutral and common; lacks the forceful, repeated 'until it sinks in' feeling of 'drive home'

  • hammer home

    very close in meaning; even more forceful, suggesting heavy repetition

  • underline

    to mark something as important, but gentler — no sense of pushing until understood

Antonyms
  • play down

    to make something seem less important than it really is

  • gloss over

    to mention something quickly so people barely notice it

Grammar Patterns

drive home + noun

drive + noun + home

drive home the fact that + clause

Usage Note

Object is usually an abstract idea the speaker wants understood — a point, lesson, message, danger, or need. The object can sit between the words ('drive the point home') or after them ('drive home the point'). Often a vivid action, image, or example does the driving, not just words.

Common Mistakes

The teacher drove home us the rule.
The teacher drove the rule home to us.
the listener takes 'to', and the idea sits before or after 'home', not after a person.
She drove home to the station her message.
She drove her message home at the station.
keep the idea ('message') with 'home'; don't split them with a place.

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

This phrase pictures a carpenter driving a nail all the way 'home' — that is, fully into the wood until the head sits flush. 'Drive' comes from Old English 'drifan', meaning to push or force forward, and 'home' here keeps its old sense of 'to the intended end point'. From hammering a nail in completely, English borrowed the image for forcing an idea fully into someone's mind.