drift
/drɪft/ (bre, ipa) · /drɪft/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdrift/ (ame, mw)
drift — 動詞
- driftpresent simple I / you / we / they
- driftshe / she / it
- driftedpast simple
- drifting-ing form
1. to move slowly in a direction that cannot be controlled, usually because of wind
漂流；飄移
因風或水流而緩慢移動
to move slowly in a direction that cannot be controlled, usually because of wind, water, or a current — like a boat moving without its engine, or smoke spreading through the air
The small fishing boat drifted towards the rocks after its engine stopped working.
那艘小漁船的引擎故障後，漂流著朝岩石而去。
drift + towards [destination]
Smoke from the campfire drifted across the field and into the trees.
營火的煙霧飄過田野，飄進了樹林裡。
drift + across [area]
A white cloud drifted slowly in front of the moon on a cold winter night.
在一個寒冷的冬夜，一朵白雲在月亮前緩緩飄移。
Shirin watched her paper boat drift away from the edge of the pond.
Shirin 看著她的紙船漂離池塘邊。
文法句型
drift + prepositional phrase (direction)
drift + adverb
用法筆記
Subject is usually a physical object or substance (boat, cloud, smoke, leaf). The direction is always specified or implied through a prepositional phrase or adverb.
常見錯誤
2. a driving technique in which a car slides sideways through a bend on purpose, wi
甩尾
賽車時刻意側滑過彎
a driving technique in which a car slides sideways through a bend on purpose, with the driver keeping full control even though the rear tyres have lost their grip on the road
Takeshi drifted around the sharp corner at over 110 kilometres per hour.
Takeshi 以超過每小時 110 公里的速度甩尾通過急彎。
drift + around [corner/bend]
The young driver learned to drift by practising on empty mountain roads.
那位年輕車手在空曠的山路上練習甩尾，學會了這項技術。
Ayana drifted past two cars on the last bend and won the race.
Ayana 在最後一個彎道甩尾超越兩輛車，贏得了比賽。
Nellie watched drifting tutorials online before trying the technique herself.
Nellie 在上場嘗試甩尾之前，先在網路上看了教學影片。
- powerslide
a similar technique using more engine power to break traction
- skid
uncontrolled sliding, not a deliberate technique
文法句型
drift + adverb of manner
drift + prepositional phrase
用法筆記
This sense belongs to motorsport vocabulary. Subject is always a driver or vehicle. The purpose is either competitive (racing) or stylistic (show).
常見錯誤
3. when snow, sand, or similar material is blown into a large heap by the wind; or
堆積
被風或水吹積成堆
when snow, sand, or similar material is blown into a large heap by the wind; or for the wind to pile such material up in a particular place
Snow had drifted against the front door, so the family could not get out.
雪堆積在前門邊，導致那家人無法出門。
drift + against [structure]
The strong wind drifted the sand into tall dunes along the coastline.
強風把沙子吹積成海岸邊高高的沙丘。
passive: wind drifted [material] into [shape]
Dead leaves drifted into large piles under the garden wall after the storm.
暴風雨過後，枯葉在花園牆下堆積成一大堆。
Lucas woke up to find snow had drifted through a gap in the old wooden roof.
Lucas 醒來發現雪從老木屋頂的縫隙中吹積進來。
文法句型
be drifted + prepositional phrase
drift + prepositional phrase (intransitive)
用法筆記
When used transitively, the subject is the wind or water, and the object is the material being piled. The intransitive use describes the material piling up on its own. Frequently found in weather reports and nature descriptions.
常見錯誤
drift — 名詞
- driftsingular
- driftsplural
1. the main idea or general meaning of what someone is saying or writing, without t
大意；要旨
談話或文章的主要意思
the main idea or general meaning of what someone is saying or writing, without the specific details
I could not follow every word of her speech, but I understood the general drift of it.
她的演講我無法逐字聽懂，但我大致明白了主要大意。
the drift of [speech/argument]
The main drift of the article is that social media affects young people's mental health.
那篇文章的大意是，社群媒體對年輕人的心理健康有負面影響。
the main drift of [text]
Justin listened carefully to catch the drift of what the manager was trying to explain.
Justin 仔細聆聽，試圖抓住經理想要解釋的重點。
The general drift of their conversation suggested they were planning a surprise party.
從他們對話的要旨來看，他們似乎正在策劃一場驚喜派對。
文法句型
the drift of [speech/argument/conversation]
用法筆記
Always used with a determiner (the, a) or possessive. Frequently appears in the fixed expressions 'the drift of something', 'catch/get the drift', and 'the general drift'. Not used in the plural.
常見錯誤
2. the use of 'drift' in the common phrases 'get the drift' and 'catch the drift',
聽懂大意
理解說話的整體意思
the use of 'drift' in the common phrases 'get the drift' and 'catch the drift', describing how a person understands the essential message of a spoken explanation without requiring every single point
Talia did not need to hear the rest — she had already got the drift.
Talia 不需要聽完整個故事——她已經聽懂了大意。
get the drift
Heather explained the new rules quickly, and Lucas caught the drift straight away.
Heather 快速解釋了新規定，Lucas 立刻就明白了。
catch the drift
When I saw his expression, I got the drift and stopped asking questions.
我看到他的表情後就懂了，於是不再追問。
The teacher talked for twenty minutes, and the students caught the drift after the first few sentences.
老師講了二十分鐘，但學生們聽了前幾句就懂了大概。
- catch on
informal phrasal verb meaning to start understanding
- understand
more general, not specific to grasping an implied meaning
文法句型
get the drift
catch the drift
用法筆記
Nearly always used in perfect tenses: 'have/has/had got the drift' or 'have/has/had caught the drift'. The speaker assumes shared understanding — the listener can fill in the missing parts. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is the gist itself; this sense is the act of understanding that gist.
常見錯誤
3. a conversational expression used at the end of a statement to indicate that the
意會
省略細節但聽者能理解
a conversational expression used at the end of a statement to indicate that the speaker has left out some information or explanation but expects the listener to understand the general idea anyway
The job involves long hours and difficult customers — but you get the drift.
這份工作工時長、客戶難搞——大概就是這樣。
you get the drift [rhetorical]
Her speech covered budget problems, staff shortages, and new rules — you get the drift.
她的演講提到了預算問題、人手不足、新規定——你大概懂了吧。
The wedding had a burnt cake, missing chairs, and a rainy ceremony — you get the drift.
那場婚禮蛋糕烤焦了、椅子不夠、儀式時又下雨——你大概懂了吧。
The hotel had broken lifts, dirty sheets, and cold food — you get the drift.
那家飯店電梯壞了、床單髒了、食物是冷的——你大概懂了吧。
- you know what I mean
more general filler phrase, less specific to omitted details
- you can imagine the rest
more explicit, less idiomatic
文法句型
[statement] ... you get the drift
用法筆記
Used as a rhetorical closing device after listing examples. The speaker is saying 'I could say more, but you already understand the pattern.' The phrase is fixed — variations like 'you catch the drift' are much less common. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 is about the listener actively working out the meaning; this sense is a conversational signal from the speaker.
常見錯誤
4. an amount of snow, sand, leaves, or other light material that the wind has colle
雪堆；沙堆
風吹積成的堆積物
an amount of snow, sand, leaves, or other light material that the wind has collected into a heap
The car got stuck in a deep snowdrift on the road through the mountains.
那輛車在山區的道路上陷入一個很深的雪堆中。
snowdrift (compound noun)
After the blizzard, huge drifts of snow blocked the entrance to the village.
暴風雪過後，巨大的雪堆堵住了村莊入口。
drifts of [snow/sand]
Renata found the garden gate completely hidden behind a drift of fallen leaves.
Renata 發現花園大門完全被一堆落葉遮住了。
Deep sand drifts made the desert road impossible for ordinary cars to cross.
深厚的沙堆使得那條沙漠道路連普通汽車也無法通行。
文法句型
drift of [snow/sand/leaves]
a [material] drift
用法筆記
Most commonly used with 'snow' (snowdrift). When the material is sand, it may refer to desert dunes or beach accumulations. The compound form 'snowdrift' is very common and can be treated as a separate word.
5. a slow and steady change or development in a situation, opinion, or pattern of b
趨勢；趨向
情況的整體發展方向
a slow and steady change or development in a situation, opinion, or pattern of behaviour over a period of time
There has been a steady drift of people moving away from big cities towards smaller towns.
近年來，人口持續從大城市往較小城鎮遷移的趨勢很明顯。
drift of people from [place] to [place]
The general drift of public opinion has shifted towards supporting renewable energy.
公眾意見的整體趨向已轉向支持再生能源。
the drift of opinion/attitude
Sociologists have noticed a gradual drift away from traditional family structures in modern societies.
社會學家注意到現代社會中傳統家庭結構逐漸式微的趨勢。
The country has seen a worrying drift towards extreme political views in recent elections.
該國在最近的選舉中出現了一股令人擔憂的極端政治傾向。
文法句型
drift of [people/opinion] from [origin] to [destination]
drift towards [trend]
用法筆記
Often paired with directional prepositions: 'drift towards', 'drift away from', 'drift from... to...'. The change is always gradual and often seen as natural or inevitable rather than planned. Common in academic, political, and sociological writing.
常見錯誤
6. a driving technique used in car racing where the driver makes the rear wheels lo
甩尾
賽車中側滑過彎的駕駛技術
a driving technique used in car racing where the driver makes the rear wheels lose their grip on the road and slides sideways around a corner while still controlling the vehicle
Drift has become a popular driving style thanks to Japanese street racing culture.
甩尾因日本街頭賽車文化而成為一種廣受歡迎的駕駛風格。
The racer entered the corner in a perfect drift, with clouds of smoke from the rear tyres.
那位賽車手以完美的甩尾入彎，後輪冒出陣陣煙霧。
in a drift
Élise spent months practising drift control before entering her first competition.
Élise 花了好幾個月練習甩尾控制，才參加了她的第一場比賽。
The championship final featured some of the best drift driving the crowd had ever seen.
冠軍決賽中出現了觀眾前所未見的頂尖甩尾駕駛技術。
- powerslide
a similar technique using more engine power to break traction
文法句型
[do] a drift
in a drift
用法筆記
As an uncountable noun it refers to the technique or sport in general. As a countable noun ('a drift', 'a perfect drift') it describes a single instance or performance of the manoeuvre. Often capitalised in the context of the sport 'Drifting' as a competitive discipline.