pusher

[poosh-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that pushes.

2. Slang.,  a peddler of illegal drugs.

3. Aeronautics.,  an airplane that is driven by pusher propellers.

4. Nautical.,  one of the masts abaft the mizzen on a sailing vessel having more than three masts, either the sixth or seventh from forward.

5. Railroads.,  a helper attached to the rear of a train, usually to provide extra power for climbing a steep grade.

pusher

/ ˈpʊʃə /

noun

1. informal,  a person who sells illegal drugs, esp narcotics such as heroin and morphine

2. informal,  an actively or aggressively ambitious person

3. 1. a type of aircraft propeller placed behind the engine

   2. a type of aircraft using such a propeller

4. a person or thing that pushes

5. a rakelike implement used by small children to push food onto a spoon

6. the usual name for pushchair

Word History and Origins

Origin of pusher¹

First recorded in 1585–95; push + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Pawn pushers at a couple of low-stakes chess tournaments in Iowa and Louisiana recently sat down at their boards only to discover a surprising competitor: one of the highest rated chess players ever to live.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Since joining the House of Lords she has used her speeches to warn about proposed cuts to the civil service, criticising those who call public servants "pen pushers".

Read more on BBC

Extrajudicial killings typically came in two varieties: a drug suspect gunned down by police while supposedly resisting arrest, or a purported pusher dispatched by unknown hitmen.

Read more on Salon

It should be boom times for the so-called white powder bar, as the practice of lawyering for the world’s most prolific drug pushers has been dubbed.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Trump didn’t invent the poison that has worked its way into the vitals of American society, but he’s its most prominent pusher and a carrier of its most virulent effects.

Read more on Salon