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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drive-by
Mahmoud Haqiqat, commander of the police station in Iranshahr, Iran, was assassinated in a drive-by shooting, who recorded the event and posted it online.
—
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026
Redundancy meets autonomy scale Safety is built around full drive-by-wire redundancy.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors allege Faceworld members targeted mourners in a drive-by shooting.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Abraham Herrera, 21, is facing several charges stemming from his alleged role in two drive-by shootings and a standoff with SWAT in Hays County – located roughly 15 miles from Austin – last month, according to FOX 7.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drive-by
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026
Redundancy meets autonomy scale Safety is built around full drive-by-wire redundancy.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors allege Faceworld members targeted mourners in a drive-by shooting.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026
Abraham Herrera, 21, is facing several charges stemming from his alleged role in two drive-by shootings and a standoff with SWAT in Hays County – located roughly 15 miles from Austin – last month, according to FOX 7.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drive-by
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive-by
Adjective
-
Expect efficient service without feeling hurried.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Even the climactic revelations, including the confrontation with the story's big bad, feel hurried.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My general understanding of book clubs had, to that point, been cursory.—
Roxane Gay,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Even the most cursory tour of local highlights will take you from the 2,000-year-old remains of Emperor Tiberius's cliff-top Villa Jovis to the still-buzzing purveyor of Jackie Kennedy's iconic sandals—Canfora, which anchors the Via Camerelle luxury shopping corridor.—
Elizabeth Heath,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
As immigration officers arrested her six weeks ago, through tears and a rushed goodbye, Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez had a request for her daughter.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Little emphasized the need to ease property taxes in a letter accompanying his signature but criticized Moyle’s approach as rushed and overly complex.—
Mark Dee
March 25,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Experts recommend covering up with clothing, rash guards, hats and shade.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
RevMed in a statement said the majority of rash cases have been low grade, with no patients discontinuing treatment because of it.—
Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, today Uranus enters a part of your chart to stay for six years, encouraging impulsive vacations, surprising romance and unexpected children.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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Flinging himself onto Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate) for a hug, the kid’s impulsive need for affection is a gut punch.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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After the flirtation and its consummation, David beats a hasty (and unsurprising) retreat.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Offscreen tragedy, including the deaths of key executive producer Kevin Turen and actor Angus Cloud, who played the affable drug dealer Fezco, and reports of long shooting times and hasty rewrites made the prospect of a third season seem up in the air for years.—
Molly Lambert,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Feeling restless and reckless, Michael (LJ Benet) is drawn to a hard-rocking local band that is secretly a quartet of young vampires that is literally sucking the life out of the community.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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The vast majority of drivers stop speeding after one or two camera violations, but a small and extremely reckless group of super speeders flagrantly endanger themselves and everyone around them.—
Mike Flynn,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Early in his baseball career, Kaneland pitcher Jack Frey came to a sudden realization.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The turmoil has included the sudden resignation of then-Supt.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drive-by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive-by. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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