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.

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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

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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

He developed a sitting exercise called the soleus push-up External link.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

The plank involves holding a position similar to a push-up for an extended period to work core abdominal muscles as well as the back, shoulders, arms and glutes.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 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

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

The 42-year-old incorporated hacky sacks into a recent workout, challenging students to push-ups each time the sack dropped.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 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

"I can't wait to make him do push-ups and sit-ups and run around."

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025

On the Presidential Fitness Tests she beat me at chin-ups and the long jump and I killed her on push-ups, sit-ups, and the fifty-yard dash.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

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