collocations.org

Collocations for drift - noun

1. slow movement towards sth

ADJ.

gradual, slow

PREP.

~ (away) from
the drift of people away from rural areas into urban slums
~ (back) to
As the strike went on, there was a gradual drift back to work.
~ into
his drift into crime
~ towards

2. general meaning of sth

ADJ.

general, main

VERB + DRIFT

catch, follow, get
I didn''t follow the speech exactly, but I caught the main drift of what was being said.
lose
I lost the drift of what she was saying.

3. pile of snow/sand made by the wind

ADJ.

deep, great | sand, snow (also ‘snowdrift’)

Collocations for drift - verb

1. be carried along by the wind/water

ADV.

slowly | helplessly
Cold and hungry, they drifted helplessly towards the Arctic.
downriver, downstream, downwind
The boat drifted slowly downstream.
along, back, down, out

PREP.

from, to, towards, etc.
drifting out to sea

2. move slowly/without purpose

ADV.

aimlessly | slowly | quietly, silently | about, around/round, apart, away, back, down, off, up
Voices drifted up through the floorboards.

VERB + DRIFT

begin to | seem to | allow sth to
He allowed his thoughts to drift back to his conversation with Carrie.

PREP.

about/around/round
He spent the day drifting aimlessly about the house.
across
She drifted across the room to where we were standing.
between
She began to drift between sleep and wakefulness.
from
We seem to be drifting away from the point.
in, into
He drifted into teaching, but never really enjoyed it.
out of
He drifted in and out of consciousness.

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