drive-in
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drive in(to)
1. To enter a particular place or thing while driving. Turn left and then drive into the parking garage.
2. To hit someone or something while driving. That guy fell asleep at the wheel and drove into a crowd of people at the parade. I lost control of my car and drove into a row of shopping carts.
3. To force something into another material or substance by hitting it. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "drive" and "in" or "into." To drive this nail into the wall, you really need to put some muscle behind it.
4. In baseball, to hit the ball and cause a runner (or runners) to score. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "drive" and "in." And with that triple, Green drove in two runs.
See also: drive
drive-in
1. noun An outdoor movie theater in which people sit in their cars in front of a large screen. This phrase can also be used as an adjective to describe such a theater. I wish there were more drive-ins around here—watching a movie in your car with your family can be a lot of fun.
2. noun A restaurant where food (usually fast food) is served to patrons while they sit in their cars. Let's go get a burger at the drive-in.
3. adjective Describing the part of a business designed to serve customers seated in their cars. Here's the order for the guy who's waiting at the drive-in window.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
drive in (to something)
to enter something or some place by driving. She drove right into the garage and stopped the car before she realized that she was not at her own house. She drove in and looked around.
See also: drive
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.