push-up

American  

[poosh-uhp] / ˈpʊʃˌʌp /

noun

• push-ups
  plural

1. an exercise in which a person, keeping a prone position with the hands palms down under the shoulders, the balls of the feet on the ground, and the back straight, pushes the body up and lets it down by an alternate straightening and bending of the arms.

---

adjective

1. (of a brassiere) having padding and usually underwires in the lower part of the cups so as to raise the breasts and make them seem fuller.

2. (of a sleeve) made to be pushed up the arm, away from the wrist or elbow, so as to create a puffed or creased fullness.

push-up British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): press-up.  an exercise in which the body is alternately raised from and lowered to the floor by the arms only, the trunk being kept straight with the toes and hands resting on the floor

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• push-ups
  plural

Etymology

Origin of push-up

First recorded in 1905–10; noun use of verb phrase push up

Compare meaning

How does push-up compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• press-up vs. push-up

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

push-up push-ups

Hamilton calls it the soleus push-up because it works the soleus muscle, which runs from just beneath the knee to the heel.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

Back then, I was pretty vain, and we would do this push-up routine before I went onstage so I’d look jacked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

The test: Schools had the option of giving kids either a pull-up or push-up test, though many chose the former.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 24, 2024

A mere $1,850 for an outdoor set that includes a pull-up bar, a dip bar and a push-up bar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

I was cleaning my crapes and counting for Junior and Talloi, who were having a push-up competition.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Bodyweight training, also known as calisthenics, uses your own body weight for exercises such as push-ups, squats and pull-ups to help build strength.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

That means he would have likely completed 60-plus push-ups and some 70 sit-ups—both sets in under two minutes—as well as a two-mile run under 14-and-a-half minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Examples include chair squats, heel drops, and wall push-ups.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026

I’m sure he can do push-ups, as he constantly brags.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025

“Ten push-ups, Thompson. I told you not to foul,” Coach said.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• climb
• grow
• lift
• move up
• rocket
• soar
• surge