Drift
Drift verb - To move or proceed smoothly and readily.
Usage example: casual conversation drifting from one topic to another
Fly
Fly verb - To move through the air with or as if with outstretched wings.
Usage example: the Wright brothers realized mankind's age-old wish to fly
Drift is a synonym for fly in sail topic. Sometimes you can use "Drift" instead a verb "Fly", if it concerns topics such as take to the air.
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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It won't let you fly, but it does significantly slow down your falls, even letting you drift across long gaps.
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The pilot has to be able to calculate wind drift, fuel consumption, and a myriad other factors to effectively fly his plane to the destination.
Source: Awesomeness by Analysis -
A note on Fly-By-Wire: most aircraft are designed with "positive" "aerodynamic stability," which means that if you let go of the steering wheel, the plane's shape will cause it to drift back into a straight-line heading.
Source: Useful Notes / Yanks with Tanks
Cite this Source
Fly and Drift. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/drift/fly
Drift & Fly. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/drift/fly>.
Fly or Drift. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/drift/fly.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "drift" and "fly" have occurred on timeline