Crossword Genius

Force them to take excursion (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

drive

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'excursion' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'force them to take' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'force' could be 'e' (E is the symbol of electromotive force) and 'e' is located in the answer.
'take' could be 'r' (abbreviation for 'recipe', Latin for 'take') and 'r' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'div' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for drive that I've seen before include "Determination, ambition" , "Sales campaign - energy - push" , "Motivate" , "Force into action, impel" , "tenacity" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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