I. thrust 1 /θrʌst/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle thrust )
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: thrysta ]
1 . [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to push something somewhere roughly:
She thrust a letter into my hand.
He thrust me roughly towards the door.
2 . [intransitive] to make a sudden movement forward with a sword or knife
thrust at
He skipped aside as his opponent thrust at him.
thrust something ↔ aside phrasal verb
to refuse to think about something:
Our complaints were thrust aside and ignored.
thrust something upon/on somebody phrasal verb
if something is thrust upon you, you are forced to accept it even if you do not want it:
She never enjoyed the fame that was thrust upon her.
He had marriage thrust upon him.
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THESAURUS
▪ put to move something to a particular place:
I’ve put the wine in the fridge.
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Where have you put my grey shirt?
▪ place to put something somewhere carefully:
‘It’s beautiful,’ he said, placing it back on the shelf.
▪ lay to put someone or something down carefully on a flat surface:
He laid all the money on the table.
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She laid the baby on his bed.
▪ position to carefully put something in a suitable position:
Position the microphone to suit your height.
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Troops were positioned around the city.
▪ slip to put something somewhere with a quick movement:
He slipped his arm around her waist.
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Carrie quickly slipped the money into her bag.
▪ shove to put something into a space or container quickly or carelessly:
Shove anything you don’t want in that sack.
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I’ve ironed those shirts so don’t just shove them in a drawer.
▪ stick ( also bung British English ) informal to put something somewhere quickly or carelessly:
I stuck the address in my pocket and I can’t find it now.
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Could you bung those clothes in the washing machine?
▪ dump to put something down somewhere in a careless and untidy way:
Don’t just dump all your bags in the kitchen.
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People shouldn’t dump rubbish at the side of the street.
▪ pop informal to quickly put something somewhere, usually for a short time:
Pop it in the microwave for a minute.
▪ thrust literary to put something somewhere suddenly or forcefully:
‘Hide it,’ he said, thrusting the watch into her hand.
II. thrust 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . [countable] a sudden strong movement in which you push something forward:
He jumped back to avoid another thrust of the knife.
2 . [singular] the main meaning or aim of what someone is saying or doing
thrust of
the main thrust of the government’s education policy
3 . [uncountable] technical the force of an engine that makes a car, train, or plane move forward