shove
1to move along by force from behind; push: Could you help me shove this table back to where it was?
to push roughly or rudely; jostle: Hey, quit shoving us—you can wait your turn like everyone else.
Slang: Often Vulgar. to go to hell with: Voters are telling Congress to shove its new tax plan.
to push: OK, all hands on the back of this crate, and on the count of three, shove!
Baseball. to pitch with exceptional focus and effectiveness: This young closer is spoiling us—we assume he’ll walk out to the mound and shove, and that’s exactly what he does.
an act or instance of shoving: I gave it a couple of good shoves, but it barely budged.
shove off,
to push a boat from the shore: It’s been fun on the beach, but we’d better shove off before the tide goes out any more and grounds our propeller.
Informal. to go away; depart: I think I'll be shoving off now.
Idioms about shove
shove it, Slang: Often Vulgar. (used to express contempt or belligerence): I told them to take the job and shove it.: Also stick it .
shove it up your / one's ass, Slang: Vulgar. go to hell: a term of contempt, abuse, disagreement, or the like.: Also stick it up your / one's ass .
when / if push comes to shove. push (def. 37).
Origin of shove
1Other words from shove
- shov·er, noun
- un·shoved, adjective
Words Nearby shove
How to use shove in a sentence
I was filled with pride every time a fried egg slid out on its own, with no shove from a spatula.
With an open door and a gentle shove, the crate falls into the sky from a cargo transport.
These gliding drones could deliver supplies from Air Force planes to the battlefield | Kelsey D. Atherton | December 8, 2021 | Popular-ScienceFor example, if you balance a bicycle with your hand and then give it a shove, it will roll upright for a surprising length of time, even re-balancing itself to some degree, before it slows and topples over.
She left her marriage when alcohol-fueled threats from her then-husband began to turn into shoves.
Five days, 100 vaccine doses and a wildfire of conspiracy theories | Jose Del Real | May 28, 2021 | Washington PostHumphrey was knocked to the turf, looking for a penalty to be called on Brown for a shove and offensive pass interference.
Lamar Jackson gets his first playoff victory as Ravens hold Titans’ Derrick Henry to 40 yards | Mark Maske | January 10, 2021 | Washington Post
These big, set-piece events shove the royalty in their face.
British Republicans Hail New Royal Baby As Good Recruiting Tool | Tom Sykes | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe four of them move to the boat, right it, balance the mattress across its bow and shove it towards the water.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq | Nathan Bradley Bethea | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe era of singers telling loser boyfriends to shove off and demanding more from men was over.
Beyoncé Is Our Indigo Girl: The Halcyon '90s and Feminism's Resurgence in Pop Music | Amanda Marcotte | August 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen push comes to shove, the pressure of staving off Ghana, Portugal, and Germany fell on Howard.
He tries to shove his relationship with Amia into a box and that box explodes in his face.
Louie’s Elevator Romance: Can Love Exist Without Sex? | Amanda Marcotte | May 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHad he not meant the Fleet to shove in K. must have made some reference to the second Division, surely.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonHe lifted the other cadet as high as he could and with a shove sent him rolling on the ice beyond.
The Mystery at Putnam Hall | Arthur M. WinfieldBlack Hood kicked his legs over the rail, reversing his position, gave himself a shove with his hands.
Near the coast line the effect of the waves is continually to shove the detritus up the slopes of the continental shelf.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerNo assistant editor would dare to shove that into a paper on his own responsibility.
The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. White
British Dictionary definitions for shove
/ (ʃʌv) /
to give a thrust or push to (a person or thing)
(tr) to give a violent push to; jostle
(intr) to push one's way roughly
(tr) informal to put (something) somewhere, esp hurriedly or carelessly: shove it in the bin
the act or an instance of shoving
Origin of shove
1- See also shove off
Derived forms of shove
- shover, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with shove
see push comes to shove; push (shove) off; ram (shove) down someone's throat; stick (shove) it.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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