idiom · informal
drift apart
UK/drɪft əˈpɑːt/US/drɪft əˈpɑrt/drift·a·PART
speakingtask2
to become less close to someone over time
Examples
“We were close at school, but we've drifted apart since university.”
“As their careers took different directions, the friends slowly drifted apart.”
“Couples sometimes drift apart if they stop communicating.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although they had been inseparable at school, their different career paths meant they gradually drifted apart.”
Collocations
- drift apart over time
- drift apart after university
Word family
drift apart / drifted apart / drifting apart verb phrase
Common mistakes
We drifted away after college.→We drifted apart after college.
We have been drift apart.→We have drifted apart.
Say it for a higher band
5separate→6grow apart→7+drift apart
Synonyms
grow apart
Easily confused
grow apart
“After years of different interests, they slowly grew apart.”
Related words
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In Relationships
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