drive away
phrasal verb·2 senses·particle away
Meanings
Leave by car
Why “away”? A person, object, look, or choice becomes more distant from its starting point.
“She drove away without saying goodbye.”
“The taxi drove away after the last passenger stepped onto the pavement.”
Force someone to leave or stay away
“His attitude drives people away.”
“The loud music drives customers away.”
Don't confuse with
Drive away means leave by car. Drive back means force an attacker to retreat.
Drive away means force someone to leave or stay away. Drive off means leave by car.
Test yourself
“She drove away without saying goodbye.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
drive back
A contrast learners often mix up
Force an attacker to retreat
drive off
A contrast learners often mix up
Leave by car; Force back by attacking
back away
Same away pattern: leaving
Move away or distance yourself, often from fear or caution
break away
Same away pattern: leaving
Escape from someone holding you; Leave a group to form a separate one; Pull ahead of others in a race
call away
Same away pattern: leaving
Be required to leave because of an urgent matter
chase away
Same away pattern: leaving
Force someone or something to leave by chasing
come away
Same away pattern: leaving
Leave a place with a particular feeling or impression
drag away
Same away pattern: leaving
Force someone to leave a place reluctantly
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “drive away” in Sink In
Drill “drive away” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
