drift

dériver, flotter

Se déplacer lentement, porté par l’air ou l’eau plutôt que par sa propre force.

En anglais simple : To move slowly, carried by air or water rather than by your own power.

• Clouds drift across the sky.
• Our boat drifted towards the rocks.
• A piece of wood was drifting along the river.

Comment l'utiliser : drift towards/away from something (The boat drifted away from the shore.); drift across/along something (Smoke drifted across the field.)

Synonymes : float

Expressions courantes : drift away, drift across something, drift towards something

descendre doucement, tomber lentement

Descendre lentement dans l’air en direction du sol.

En anglais simple : To move slowly down through the air towards the ground.

• Snowflakes drift down from the sky.
• A yellow leaf drifted gently to the ground.
• We watched the feathers drifting down around us.

Comment l'utiliser : drift down to something (The feather drifted down to the grass.)

Synonymes : float down, descend

Contraires : rise

Expressions courantes : drift down, drift to earth, drift downwards

drifter, déraper

Conduire une voiture dans un virage en contrôlant son glissement sur le côté.

En anglais simple : To drive a car around a bend while controlling its sideways slide.

• She can drift a car safely.
• The driver drifted around the final bend.
• They practise drifting on a closed racing track.

Synonymes : powerslide

Expressions courantes : drift a car, drift around corners

amas, congère

Tas de neige, de sable ou d’autres matières rassemblées par le vent ou l’eau.

En anglais simple : A pile of snow, sand, or other material collected together by wind or water.

• A deep drift blocked the road.
• The wind left drifts of sand against the wall.
• We dug a path through the snow drifts.

Comment l'utiliser : a drift of something (A drift of snow covered the steps.)

Synonymes : pile, bank, heap

Expressions courantes : a snow drift, a sand drift, drift of snow

dérive, évolution progressive

Changement lent qui se produit au fil du temps, souvent sans avoir été prévu.

En anglais simple : A slow change that builds up over time, often without anyone planning it.

• We noticed a slow drift in public opinion.
• Genetic drift can change small animal populations.
• The report describes a drift away from traditional values.

Comment l'utiliser : a drift towards/away from something (There has been a gradual drift towards stricter rules.)

Synonymes : shift, change

Expressions courantes : genetic drift, drift towards something, gradual drift