Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
drive-by [drahyv-bahy] EXAMPLES|WORD ORIGIN noun, plural drive-bys. the action of driving by a specified locality, object, etc.: a drive-by of Nelson’s Monument. a drive-by shooting: The gang member was killed in a drive-by. adjective consisting of or featuring a drive-by: We boarded the sightseeing bus for a drive-by tour of the nation’s capital. occurring while driving past a person, object, etc.: a drive-by shooting. casual; superficial; offhand: a drive-by news analysis. involving a brief stay in a hospital, clinic, etc.: a drive-by mastectomy. Liberaldictionary.com
Origin of drive-by noun, adj. use of verb phrase drive by Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for drive-by Contemporary Examples of drive-by
On Sept. 7, 1996, Tupac was targeted and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.
Rapper Bobby Shmurda Arrested at New York’s Notorious Quad Studios
M.L. Nestel
December 17, 2014
The archaeologists I did connect with were not interested in drive-by interviews.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark
Alex Belth
November 14, 2014
A suicide bomber with cold feet, a road machinery operator with a vengeance and drive-by shooters have Israelis on edge.
As Gaza War Comes Home to Israel, a Reluctant Suicide Bomber Emerges
Itay Hod
August 4, 2014
More, his drive-by shouting has had the complete adverse effect, building into the most unlikely of successful comedy careers.
How ‘Billy on the Street’ Star Billy Eichner Turned Screaming at Strangers Into Comedy Gold
Kevin Fallon
March 12, 2014
A week earlier, a drive-by shooting had rocked that same neighborhood, taking five lives and injuring four.
Keeping Tabs on Obama’s Church Attendance Is No Way to Gauge His Faith
Joshua DuBois
January 5, 2014
Word Origin and History for drive-by adj.
as a modifier, by 1989 (originally of shootings), from drive (v.) + by.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
