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

A group of cyclists had been waiting patiently for their turn to push off in what was a regular time trial event.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 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

There’s nothing to do but use my last seconds of connection to the tiles to push off for the intersection.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

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