Drift example sentences

Related (12): float, wander, meander, stray, deviate, veer, glide, slide, accumulation, current, movement, tendency

"Drift" Example Sentences

I watched the boat drift away from the dock without anyone steering it.
During the meeting, my mind started to drift toward what I'd have for lunch.
The snow began to drift against the fence, piling up higher than usual.
She felt herself drift into sleep despite trying to stay awake.
Nobody noticed how the conversation would drift from topic to topic.
The current made the kayak drift sideways toward the rocks.
He couldn't help but drift back to memories of his childhood home.
Every winter, the sand dunes drift and reshape the entire beach.
I let my thoughts drift while staring out the window at nothing.
The smell of coffee seemed to drift through the entire apartment.
We watched the clouds drift slowly across the sky that afternoon.
After the breakup, he felt like he was starting to drift away from his friends.
The leaves would drift down the street in little whirlwinds.
She didn't want to drift into another relationship without being ready.
The music seemed to drift from somewhere down the hallway.
I could feel the car drift slightly on the icy road.
They let the conversation drift naturally without forcing anything.
The fog began to drift in from the ocean around sunset.
He watched his ex's life drift further away on social media.
The boat continued to drift even though the engine was running.
I hate how my attention will drift during important conversations.
The dust particles seemed to drift through the sunlight.
She worried they would drift apart if they didn't make an effort.
The smell of rain seemed to drift up from the pavement.
He felt himself drift into a strange space between awake and dreaming.
The ice floe began to drift away from the shore.
I watched the years drift by without really living them.
The conversation would drift back to the same argument every time.
The smoke from the fire started to drift toward our tent.
She couldn't let her career drift any longer without making a decision.

Common Phrases

drift apart
drift away
drift off
drift into
let drift
drift back to
drift along
snow drift
continental drift
catch the drift

Examples by Level

The boat will drift on the water.
I drift to sleep every night.

The leaves drift down from the trees in autumn.
She felt herself drift away from her old friends.

I didn't want to drift through life without any real goals or direction.
The conversation seemed to drift from one topic to another without any real focus.

He'd been letting his career drift for years, and now he was finally paying the price.
There's something unsettling about watching a relationship slowly drift apart when neither person wants to admit it.

The way she allowed her thoughts to drift suggested a mind preoccupied with something she wasn't quite ready to name.
What began as a minor disagreement would gradually drift into something far more corrosive to their partnership.

In the quiet hours before dawn, he would drift between memory and present moment, unable to anchor himself firmly in either.
The nation's political center had begun to drift so far from its founding principles that few seemed to notice the magnitude of the shift.

Examples by Scenario

🏠 Everyday Life

My dog tends to drift around the house looking for something to do when it's raining.
I watched the leaves drift across the sidewalk while waiting for the bus.

💼 Workplace

During the afternoon meeting, I could feel my focus drift toward the email I'd been trying to finish.
The team's productivity started to drift once the project lost its initial momentum.

📊 Business

The company allowed its market position to drift while competitors moved aggressively forward.
Our customer retention began to drift downward after we changed the service model.

🛒 Buying / Shopping

I went in for milk and let my eyes drift across the bakery section for way too long.
While shopping, I tend to drift toward the sale items even when I don't need anything.

✈️ Travel

We decided to drift through the countryside without a fixed itinerary or destination.
The boat seemed to drift lazily along the canal, giving us time to actually see the city.

📚 Education

The teacher noticed how students' attention would drift whenever the lesson moved to abstract concepts.
I watched my daughter's grades drift lower as she struggled with the transition to middle school.

❤️ Relationships

We both knew we were starting to drift apart, but neither of us wanted to be the one to say it first.
After he moved away, we tried to stay close, but our friendship began to drift without the daily contact.

📰 News / Politics

The senator's approval ratings began to drift downward after the scandal broke.
Analysts warned that public opinion was starting to drift away from the proposed policy.

💻 Technology

The app's user base started to drift toward competitors offering better features.
I noticed my attention would drift when scrolling through endless feeds of similar content.

📝 Formal Writing

The study examined how consumer preferences drift over time in response to market changes.
Research indicates that without intervention, academic performance tends to drift downward for at-risk students.