drive someone crazy
/draɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ˈkreɪzi/
Meaning
This expression means to annoy, irritate, or frustrate someone intensely. It can also describe making someone feel highly excited or deeply infatuated in a romantic context. The tone is usually informal and exaggerated, expressing strong emotion.
Examples
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The sound of that dripping faucet is driving me crazy.
The sound of that dripping faucet is driving me crazy.
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My brother drives me crazy when he leaves his dirty socks on the floor.
My brother drives me crazy when he leaves his dirty socks on the floor.
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She is driving him crazy by not answering his text messages.
She is driving him crazy by not answering his text messages.
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This traffic is driving me crazy; we've been stuck here for an hour.
This traffic is driving me crazy; we've been stuck here for an hour.
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His constant singing in the office is enough to drive anyone crazy.
His constant singing in the office is enough to drive anyone crazy.
Common Mistakes
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✗ He makes me crazy with his loud music.
✓ He drives me crazy with his loud music.
While 'makes me crazy' is sometimes understood, 'drives me crazy' is the standard, natural collocation.
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✗ That noise is driving crazy to me.
✓ That noise is driving me crazy.
Do not use 'to' before the pronoun. The structure is 'drive + [person] + crazy'.
Related Expressions
Practice
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Please stop tapping your pen on the desk; it's ___!
💡 Use the present continuous form of the verb.
Show answer
driving me crazy
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He never cleans up after himself, which is starting to ___.
💡 Use the feminine pronoun 'her' as the object.
Show answer
drive her crazy