push

1 of 3

verb

pushed; pushing; pushes

transitive verb

1
a
: to press against with force in order to drive or impel
b
: to move or endeavor to move away or ahead by steady pressure without striking
2
a
: to thrust forward, downward, or outward
b
: to cause to increase : raise
push prices to record levels
c
: to try to move beyond or expand
push one's limits
d
: to hit (a ball) toward the right from a right-handed swing or toward the left from a left-handed swing compare pull
3
a
: to press or urge forward to completion
b
: to urge or press the advancement, adoption, or practice of
pushed a bill in the legislature
especially : to make aggressive efforts to sell
we're pushing ham this week
c
: to engage in the illicit sale of (narcotics)
4
: to bear hard upon so as to involve in difficulty
poverty pushed them to the breaking point
5
: to approach in age or number
grandmother must be pushing 75

intransitive verb

1
: to press against something with steady force in or as if in order to impel
2
: to press forward energetically against opposition
3
: to exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end
pushing for higher wages

push

2 of 3

noun

1
: a vigorous effort to attain an end : drive:
a
: a military assault or offensive
b
: an advance that overcomes obstacles
c
: a campaign to promote a product
2
: a time for action : emergency
3
a
: an act of pushing : shove
b(1)
: a physical force steadily applied in a direction away from the body exerting it
(2)
: a nonphysical pressure : influence, urge
c
: vigorous enterprise or energy
4
a
: an exertion of influence to promote another's interests
b
: stimulation to activity : impetus

PUSH

3 of 3

abbreviation

People United to Serve Humanity
Phrases
push one's luck
: to take an increasing risk
push comes to shove
: a decisive moment comes
backed down when push came to shove

Examples of push in a Sentence

Verb Do you want to push the shopping cart? He slowly pushed the door open. She pushed back her chair and stood up. She pushed him aside and marched into the boss's office. He pushed her out of the way. He pushed me into the table. He was pushed off the sidewalk into the street. She pushed her wet hair back from her face. The bulldozer pushed the rubble over the edge of the pit. No matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't move the boulder. Noun an unprecedented push to pass stronger gun control measures
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, is among the companies that aggressively pushed back against the Biden administration’s original proposal. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Hogan siding strongly with the hard right or not codifying Roe v. Wade would certainly push her to withdraw any support for him. Emily Guskin, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 The viral activity pushed the track to No. 2 on the weekly TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart in February. Trevor Anderson, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024 The reality is that a ton of folks push through no matter what, Dr. Seng says. Alyssa Sparacino, SELF, 19 Mar. 2024 Additionally, the marque remains committed to its pledge of going all-electric, but has pushed back the target date from 2030 to 2033. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2024 Those tactics could push final passage past 12:01 on Saturday morning, when funding is set to expire. Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 During his own tenure, Weber pushed hard to improve graduation rates and to recruit local students, which helped diversify the student body. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 But Nasser, as well as pushing for efficiencies to improve affordability in his own industry, also fired a shot at other energy types and parallel products. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024
Noun
Anything less would be another sign of weakness in the face of Xi’s totalitarian push for control of the region. The Editors, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024 The push to more widely leverage the federal judicial system likely would sidestep local and state prosecutors. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 Along with its value proposition—most products retail for about $6—and a push for innovation, marketing is another growth driver, Fields told me. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 But, in contrast to the mid-century, the driving force behind today’s four-day workweek push is not coming from the blue-collar and union workers, but from white-collar and corporate employees, Benanav said. María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Two of the people said that Saudi’s new investment push is likely to take off in the second half of 2024. Rob Copeland, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 In response to a previous request, TikTok condemned the push for a possible U.S. ban as an infringement on the right to express oneself freely. Max Zahn, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 The rental car company’s EV push didn’t pan out, and chief Stephen Scherr will step down to be replaced by former Delta Airlines and General Motors Gil West. Susan Howson, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 The nuts-and-bolts campaign efforts of strategizing, raising funds, courting delegates and resisting the push to drop out from fellow Black politicians like the slippery D.C. delegate Walter Fauntroy (André Holland) are quite absorbing, embroidered here and there with archival news footage. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'push.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English possen, pusshen, probably from Old French pousser to exert pressure, from Latin pulsare, frequentative of pellere to drive, strike — more at felt

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of push was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near push

Cite this Entry

“Push.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/push. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

push

1 of 2 verb
1
: to press against with force in order to drive
2
: to force forward, downward, or outward
3
: to go or make go ahead
push the job to completion
4
: to press hard against so as to involve in difficulty
was pushed for time
5
: to engage in the sale of (illegal drugs)

push

2 of 2 noun
1
: a strong advance against obstacles
2
: a sudden thrust : shove
3
: a steady applying of force in a direction away from the body from which it comes

More from Merriam-Webster on push

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