as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
the administrator's schedule left her with no time to make more than a drive-by assessment of the situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drive-by
Months prior to Biggie Smalls' death, West Coast rapper and frequent musical foe Tupac Shakur died in a drive-by shooting in 1996; both shooting deaths remain unsolved.
—
Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
Listen to this article A 30-year-old man was left in critical condition after a drive-by shooting Tuesday morning on the West Side in the Austin neighborhood, Chicago police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
Three people, including a 6-month-old baby, were hospitalized after a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, authorities said.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 10 Feb. 2025
During drive-by shootings, neighbors wedge themselves between sofas.
—Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drive-by
Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
Listen to this article A 30-year-old man was left in critical condition after a drive-by shooting Tuesday morning on the West Side in the Austin neighborhood, Chicago police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
Three people, including a 6-month-old baby, were hospitalized after a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, authorities said.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 10 Feb. 2025
During drive-by shootings, neighbors wedge themselves between sofas.
—Eduardo Medina, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drive-by
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive-by
Adjective
-
By contrast, Spencer crossing the ocean in the space of an hour feels downright hurried.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Photography by Christopher Lee Every morning taquerias throughout San Antonio fill with construction workers, nurses in scrubs, college students, and hurried families, all finding salvation in an iconic staple: the breakfast taco.—
Edmund Tijerina,
Bon Appétit,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Speaking at the White House last week, Mr. Musk asserted without providing evidence that a cursory examination of the Social Security Administration found that people listed in its systems as being 150 years old were receiving benefits.—
Alan Rappeport,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Since 2001, the net effect of the state-building mission in Afghanistan has been the emergence of a strong Afghan army and a weak Afghan state, creating an imbalance that should worry anyone with a cursory knowledge of history or political theory.—
Paul D. Miller,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Apr. 2014
Adjective
-
Vasculitis rash: Vasculitis is a condition that causes blood vessels underneath the skin to swell.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Health,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Across the board, a measles rash also tends to give skin a pebbly or sandpapery texture as the spots multiply and get more consolidated, Dr. Lovins says.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Financial preparedness gives you the freedom to make informed choices, not just impulsive ones.—
Marc Shaffer,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Just be cautious with impulsive purchases or big-money decisions.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Such hasty efforts at downsizing consistently failed, Drucker warned, even in the private sector.—
Jacob Bruggeman & Casey Eilbert / Made by History,
TIME,
3 Mar. 2025
-
As major food and beverage conglomerates are beating a hasty retreat from their previous ESG, sustainability and DEI commitments, The Purpose Pledge is pointing a new way forward.—
Errol Schweizer,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This is the Republican Party under Trump: shrugging off the well-being of Veterans while pushing reckless cuts.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
-
He was arrested on charges of disobeying the signal of an officer, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, passing on the right, interfering with an officer and first-degree reckless endangerment.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Escaping a sudden, massive flood, a smart, mischievous black cat clambers aboard a boat shared by a dog, a capybara, and a lemur, as well as a long-legged secretary bird.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
2 Mar. 2025
-
As big of a star as The Rock is, his sudden inclusion in Rhodes’ road to WrestleMania seems both forced and unnecessary, especially after their equally strange interaction on Raw’s Netflix premiere.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But the Oscar winner is quick to remind his kids that his millions aren’t theirs to spend.—
Nicolas Vega,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2025
-
While the sheer number of krill in the Southern Ocean means the species is unlikely to face an acute threat to its survival in the near term, Savoca is quick to point out that numbers are no guarantee of success.—
Gabe Castro-Root,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drive-by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive-by. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share