Meanings
present singular third person drifts apart · participle present drifting apart · participle past drifted apart · past drifted apart
- idiomaticintransitiveTo lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness.
We used to be good friends but we drifted apart over the years.
1 more example
To think of what we've been, and not to kiss again, seems like pretending it isn't ending, two friends drifting apart, two friends but one broken heart
1931, John Klenner, Just Friends
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 疏遠 /疏远, 生疏
- 疏遠 /疏远 (shūyuǎn)to lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
- 生疏 (shēngshū)to lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
Finnish ajautua erilleen
- ajautua erilleento lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
French se perdre de vue
- se perdre de vueto lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
Hungarian eltávolodik
- eltávolodikto lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
Italian perdersi di vista
- perdersi di vistato lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
Polish oddalać się od siebie, oddalić się od siebie
- oddalać się od siebieto lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
- oddalić się od siebieto lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
Russian отдаля́ться, отдали́ться
- отдаля́ться (otdaljátʹsja)to lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
- отдали́ться (otdalítʹsja)to lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
- расходи́ться (rasxodítʹsja)to lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
- разойти́сь (razojtísʹ)to lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
Spanish distanciarse
- distanciarseto lose contact, to lose one's friendship or closeness
Cite this entry
drift apart. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drift%20apart
“drift apart.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drift%20apart. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “drift apart,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/drift%20apart.
Source: drift apart on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.