I. ˈpu̇sh verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English posshen, pusshen, from Old French polser, poulser to push, beat, from Latin pulsare, from pulsus, past participle of pellere to drive, push — more at felt
transitive verb
1.
a. : to exert physical force upon so as to cause or tend to cause motion away from the force : to cause to move or tend to move away or ahead by steady pressure in contact
push a baby carriage
push a door open
push a boat off
push him out of the way
pushed back his chair
dunes that the ice pushed up
— opposed to pull
b. archaic , of an animal : to butt or thrust against with the head or horns
c. : to force to go (as by driving or displacing)
push the enemy troops into the sea
my crew will push your cattle across the creek tomorrow — Luke Short
pushed the worry to the back of her mind
push the job onto someone else
: crowd
a local sensation that pushed the foreign news off the front page
cleared fields that push back the wilderness
d. : to make, effect, or accomplish by forcing aside obstacles or opposition
push his way to the front of the crowd
pushed the new road into the wilderness
2.
a. : to put in a projecting position : stick
pushed out his lower lip
push her nose into their affairs
b. : to cause to extend against resistance or with vigorous effort : put forth
plants that push their roots deep into the soil
: send out
pushed an army across the river to intercept the enemy
c. : to cause to change in quantity or extent
costs of municipal government are still rising, pushing up … taxes — Ed Cony
as the frontier was pushed westward — American Guide Series: Virginia
especially : increase
push the production of consumer goods to record levels
3.
a. : to press (a person) to do something
push her son to pursue a musical career
b. : to urge or force to greater speed or activity or beyond usual limits
pushes his horse to the front of the race
pushed the truck to a breakneck speed
cruises at 200 but can hit 250 if pushed
pushes her voice a little too hard — Edward Sackvill-West & Desmond Shawe-Taylor
c. : to bring (a person) to a point, state, or position by severe pressure
fancied slights … pushed men to the breaking point — Oscar Handlin
the students … frequently push the professors into extreme views — Dallas Finn
especially : to reduce to straits (as by lack of money, time)
push smaller companies into bankruptcy
pushed for time
d. : to bid for the purpose of inducing (an opponent in a card game) to make a higher and possibly unsafe bid
e. : to direct the course of
pushed his horse into the opening
push a pencil
: operate
pushes a taxi for a living
4. : to develop (as an idea or system) more fully or to an extreme
pushes the argument one step further — Robert Strausz-Hupé
pushes his historical interpretation as far as it will go — S.F.Damon
5.
a. : to promote or carry out with vigor : urge or press the advancement, adoption, or practice of
pushed his protegé in university circles
push the bill in the legislature
specifically : to make aggressive efforts to sell
a heavy consumer drive to push canned foods — Printers' Ink
b. : to engage in the illicit sale of (narcotics)
6. : to approach in age or number
the old man was pushing seventy-five — Saul Bellow
the crowds are pushing 200,000 — Ken Purdy
intransitive verb
1. archaic
a. of an animal : to butt a person or object with the head or horns
b. : to thrust with a pointed weapon
c. : to make a hostile advance
2.
a. : to exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain a desired end : work or drive hard
unions pushing for higher wages
b. : to peddle narcotics
3.
a. : to exert a steady force against something
watched the crowd push against the gate until it broke
b. : to move by pushing or being pushed
took the raft pole and pushed out into the stream
the door pushed open — Erle Stanley Gardner
fillers that push out easily
c. : to make one or more bids that push an opponent
4. : to press forward against obstacles or opposition or with energy : advance persistently or courageously
encouraged adventurous Portuguese captains to push out into the Atlantic — G.C.Sellery
5.
a. : to stick out : project
a dock that pushes far out into the lake
: extend
a road that pushes toward the mountains
b. : to change in quantity or extent ; especially : increase
corn acreage pushed into first place — American Guide Series: Minnesota
Synonyms:
push , shove , thrust , and propel can mean, in common, to use force upon a thing so as to make it move ahead or aside. push implies the application of force by a body already in contact with the thing to be moved onward, aside, or out of the way
push a wheelbarrow
push a man off a seat
push a card across the table
push a man into a high political position
shove implies a strong, usually fast or rough, pushing of something usually along a surface, as the ground or a floor
shove a piano a few feet back
shove a handkerchief into one's pocket
shove a plate away from one
thrust stresses a rapidity or violence rather than any continuousness or steadiness in the application of force, often implying the sudden and forcible pushing of a weapon or instrument into something
thrust a hand into a box
thrust a sword through the arras
thrust a grievance out of one's mind
propel implies a driving forward or onward by a force or power
propel a hoop along the sidewalk
boats propelled by the wind
the engine propels the car at over a hundred miles an hour
a man propelled by hunger to an enemy's house
•
- push one's luck
- push up daisies
II. noun
( -es )
1. : a vigorous effort to attain a desired end : drive
a strong Congressional push for restoring high, rigid supports — Eric Sevareid
a. : a strong organized military attack : assault , offensive
on the Russian front the spring push had finally begun — Time
b. : an advance overcoming obstacles
the big scientific push into the south polar region — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
c. : an active campaign to promote the sale of a product
his sales picture on this product may be influenced by a heavy push on another product — J.K.Blake
2. : a condition or occasion of stress : an urgent state : a time for action : emergency , pinch
when it came to the push , I found, I had forgot all I intended to say — Thomas Gray
3.
a.
(1) : a sudden forcible act of pushing : shove
gave the boy ahead of him an impatient push and knocked him down
(2) : a thrust with a pointed weapon or the horn of an animal
b.
(1) : a physical force steadily applied in a direction away from the body exerting it
gave the car a push around the block to start it
driven by the push of the wind on the sails
the push of the water against the walls of the tank
(2) : a nonphysical pressure : influence , compulsion , urge
the push and pull of conflicting emotions
c. : aggressive energy : vigorous enterprise
it was the push … of a reinvigorated government that carried the program through — F.A.Ogg & Harold Zink
4.
a. : an exertion of influence to promote another's interests
b. : stimulation or encouragement to vigorous activity : boost , impetus
war gave weather forecasting a tremendous push — J.D.Ratcliff
5.
a. : crowd , bunch
hurry and get ready, … the whole push of you — Atlantic
b. Australia : a gang of rowdies or toughs
6. : a part to be pushed ; especially : push button
7. slang : a foreman in a lumber camp
8. Britain : dismissal — used in the phrase get the push or give the push
when the Mayor makes his replacements … all I do is put the finger on the guy who's to get the push — Hartley Howard
9. : a bid in a card game that pushes an opponent
III. adjective
1. : that pushes : used to communicate a push
push pole
push pedal
2. : operated or propelled by pushing
a push mower
a push feed
IV. noun
( -es )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. dialect chiefly England : pustule , pimple
2. dialect chiefly England : boil , carbuncle