Drive back Meaning in English
expression
Definition
To force someone or something to move away from you and not advance, often used with enemies, crowds, or problems.
Usage & Nuances
Usually used in formal, military, or physical confrontation contexts ('drive back the enemy'), but can also refer to resisting non-physical things like emotions or problems. Not used for simply turning a car around.
Spanish: hacer retroceder - rechazarPortuguese (BR): afastar - repelirPortuguese (PT): afastar - repelirChinese (Simplified): 击退 - 驱赶回去Chinese (Traditional): 擊退 - 驅趕回去Hindi: पीछे धकेलना - वापस भेजनाArabic: صدّ - دفع للخلفBengali: প্রতিহত করা - বিদুরিত করাRussian: отбивать - оттеснятьJapanese: 撃退するVietnamese: đẩy lùi - chống lạiKorean: 물리치다 - 막아내다Turkish: geri püskürtmek - geri itmekUrdu: پسپا کرنا - واپس دھکیلناIndonesian: menghalau - menahan
Example Sentences
The police tried to drive back the protestors.
basic
The soldiers managed to drive back the attackers.
basic
They barely managed to drive back their fears and finish the exam.
natural
We had to work together to drive back the floodwaters from our homes.
natural
Even after hours, the firefighters struggled to drive back the flames.
natural
We need to drive back the angry crowd.
basic