Synonyms

push off

British

verb

Also: push out. to move into open water, as by being cast off from a mooring
informal (intr) to go away; leave

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

push off Idioms

Also, shove off. Leave, set out, depart, as in The patrol pushed off before dawn, or It's time to shove off. This usage alludes to the literal meaning of a person in a boat pushing against the bank or dock to move away from the shore. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

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.

Such a scenario could delay or even push off any Fed rate cuts this year.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

Uncertainty over tariffs led shipping companies, which had started to recover after struggling with an inventory glut and slowing consumer spending for years, to push off their forecasts for a recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025

Some keepers bring their foot inwards so they can use it to push off before jumping towards the corner of the goal.

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025

A 2025 trial conclusion could also "throw a potential wrench into efforts by Cannon to push off the MAL docs case," national security lawyer Bradley Moss tweeted, referring to Trump's Florida federal criminal case.

From Salon • Nov. 15, 2023

But when they push off the coast with the Japanese Navy, they can’t help but wonder: Where are we going?

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023