drive at

drive at
SUGGEST, imply, hint at, allude to, intimate, insinuate, indicate; refer to, mean, intend; informal get at.
drive

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phrasal
: to aim or intend to express ultimately often despite initial failure to achieve clarity or to reveal the full implications

many of their statements are so qualified as to make it difficult to know what they are driving at — L.A.White

— usually used with the pronoun what as inverted object

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ˈdrive at [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they drive at he/she/it drives at present participle driving at past tense drove at past participle driven at] phrasal verb
what someone is driving at what someone is really trying to say

I can see what you’re driving at.

Thesaurus: purposes and intentionssynonym
Main entry: drive

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drive at [phrasal verb]
drive at (something) : to attempt to say or do (something)
— usually used as (be) driving at

I have no idea what he was driving at.

I think I see what you're driving at.

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Main Entry:drive

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Drive — Drive, n. 1. In various games, as tennis, cricket, etc., the act of player who drives the ball; the stroke or blow; the flight of the ball, etc., so driven. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. (Golf) A stroke from the tee, generally a full shot made with a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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