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
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.
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Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
In London, thieves have graduated from the subtle art of snagging wallets from pockets in crowded tube cars, instead opting for drive-by e-bike robberies, swooping phones out of unsuspecting tourists’s hands and zooming off.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 20 Dec. 2025
Because the car works completely on a drive-by-wire and brake-by-wire system, Tensor says the steering wheel can even be used to play those games.
—New Atlas, 6 Dec. 2025
The victim of a drive-by shooting Tuesday near Stockton was a woman who gained notoriety as the teen driver in a livestreamed crash that killed her sister.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drive-by
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive-by
Adjective
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Facing a schedule filled with hurried days, countless steps, and occasions that require outfits equal parts practical and chic?—
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Niccol has espoused the hopes of returning Starbucks to a cozy third space, away from the image of being a hurried pitstop to pick up a morning espresso, and toward 1990s nostalgia of lingering over a latte.—
Adjective
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Even a cursory review of the nation’s political violence in recent years makes clear there is plenty of blame to go around.—
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The heat on Nestlé is shifting from its CEO, who was fired this week for having an undisclosed affair with a subordinate, to its board, whose initial, apparently cursory, investigation failed to uncover evidence that a later probe uncovered.—
Adjective
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The rushed start wasn’t the only hiccup.—
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The national bill – passed on the final day of parliament last year – was criticized at the time as a rushed piece of legislation conceived to win votes before the 2025 election.—
Adjective
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Common measles symptoms include a blotchy rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, pink or watery eyes and white spots on the insides of the cheeks.—
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Symptoms include fever, rash, cough, red or watery eyes, and a runny nose.—
Adjective
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Instead of impulsive moves, energy goes toward goals that require patience and endurance.—
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That fear can contribute to impulsive decisions, overtrading, and emotional fatigue - outcomes sometimes interpreted as personal failure rather than a response to the way risk is structured.—
Adjective
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According to reporting from El Dorado Hills community publication Village Life in 2023, Loewen’s hasty exit came months after El Dorado Hills residents voiced concerns over possible ethics and contract violations.—
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Chief among the clues police have recovered at the scene of Sunday's sensational crime at one of the world's most famous museums are traces of DNA found on items the thieves left behind in their hasty motorbike getaway.—
Adjective
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His reckless decision to escalate the aggression and number of immigration agents is a causal factor, regardless of the outcome of an investigation into this tragic death.—
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Cowards habitually flee what is painful, while someone who acts bravely because of excessive confidence is simply reckless.—
Adjective
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Leave a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern.—
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The engine, freed from its hook by a sudden hard, precise kick, quickly sank into the river, pulling the cord tight and dragging the foreman underwater.—
Cite this Entry
“Drive-by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive-by. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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