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Drift

German, noun/dʁɪft/

Drift is spelled D-R-I-F-T (5 letters) and appears 1.1 times per million words in written German, the 37,432nd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Drift is a German feminine noun meaning “violent stream or swell (of the sea)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “die durch den Wind verursachte Bewegung des Wassers”.

What does Drift mean in English?

noun

  1. 1

    feminineviolent stream or swell (of the sea)

  2. 2

    femininedrift, drifting (movement caused by external powers such as current or wind)

  3. 3

    femininedrift, tendency, gradual long-term development

    Das Schriftdeutsche zeigt vom 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert eine nach Süden weisende Drift, woran sich danach wiederum eine eher nördliche Formen bevorzugende Drift anschließt.

  4. 4

    femininesynonym of Treibgut (“floating debris”)

noun

  1. 1

    masculinedrift, an instance of drifting (decelerating movement diametrical to the main direction)

    Nach diesem kurzen Drift muss sie versuchen, wieder Tempo zu gewinnen.

Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How German dictionaries define it

noun: 1. die durch den Wind verursachte Bewegung des Wassers 2. das durch Wind oder Strömung verursachte Treiben von etwas auf dem Wasser 3. Kontinentaldrift 4. eine langsame Änderung eines Merkmals eines Systems, einer Einrichtung oder eines Bauelementes

The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.

Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

Forms of Drift

  • Driften plural rare
  • Trift alternative dated
  • Drifts genitive

Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).

How do you pronounce Drift?

  • /dʁɪft/
  • [dʁɪft]

Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.

English words that translate to Drift

Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.

How common is Drift in German?

Drift appears 1.1 times per million words in written German.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

What to look up after Drift