pushover
Americannoun
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Informal. anything done easily.
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Informal. an easily defeated person or team.
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Informal. a person who is easily persuaded, influenced, or seduced.
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Rocketry. a displacement in a horizontal direction of the trajectory of a missile or rocket.
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Aeronautics. push-down.
noun
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something that is easily achieved or accomplished
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a person, team, etc, that is easily taken advantage of or defeated
Etymology
Origin of pushover
1905–10, noun use of verb phrase push over
Explanation
A pushover is a person who's easy to fool or influence. A substitute teacher who's a pushover is easily convinced that the class usually spends an hour watching music videos. If you're a pushover, you find it hard to deny anyone what they ask for. If your mom's a pushover, it means it's a breeze to get her to say yes when you ask for something. A babysitter who's a pushover will let the kids stay up way past their bedtime. If you think about it, the word makes sense: if you can push someone over easily, then that person can't stand up against you. Around 1900, pushover meant "an easy job or task," and by 1922 it also referred to people.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The new rules also have empowered some of the sport’s longtime pushover programs to gleefully kick sand in the faces of their former bullies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
Whether it’s Jacoby Brissett or Kyler Murray, Green Bay has the offensive firepower to win — although the Cardinals defense is no pushover.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025
“I asked my wife to take it down, but for several days, she refused,” insists Alito—who is no pushover on the bench.
From Slate • May 29, 2024
Rain and cool temperatures turned Valhalla into a pushover for the first two days, and the scores showed it.
From Seattle Times • May 18, 2024
And I decide that I’m done being a pushover.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
