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

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Etymology

Origin of push-up

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

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Compare meaning

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

• press-up vs. push-up

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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

But what's the key to the perfect push-up, according to Bill?

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 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

And she’ll always think back to the time when she taught him to do a proper push-up.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

In that smaller study, 24 older adults performed just 30 seconds of push-ups and squats each day.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Someone performing modified push-ups might advance to the standard movement, while another participant might increase the height of the stepper.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

An early riser who starts many mornings with knuckle push-ups and stair climbing, Foran, 65, is often at the office by 6 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

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

“If they as much as leaned on a shovel without permission, they did fifty push-ups in the dirt,” said Alfons Heck.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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