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Synonyms

shove

1 American  
[shuhv] / ʃʌv /

verb (used with object)

shoved, shoving

  1. to move along by force from behind; push.

    Could you help me shove this table back to where it was?

  2. to push roughly or rudely; jostle.

    Hey, quit shoving us—you can wait your turn like everyone else.

  3. Slang: Often Vulgar. to go to hell with.

    Voters are telling Congress to shove its new tax plan.

verb (used without object)

shoved, shoving

  1. to push.

    OK, all hands on the back of this crate, and on the count of three, shove!

  2. 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.

noun

  1. an act or instance of shoving.

    I gave it a couple of good shoves, but it barely budged.

verb phrase

  1. shove off

    1. 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.

    2. Informal. to go away; depart.

      I think I'll be shoving off now.

idioms

  1. shove it, (used to express contempt or belligerence): Also stick it

    I told them to take the job and shove it.

  2. when / if push comes to shove. push.

  3. shove it up your / one's ass, go to hell: a term of contempt, abuse, disagreement, or the like. Also stick it up yourone's ass

shove 2 American  
[shohv] / ʃoʊv /

noun

  1. boon.

shove British  
/ ʃʌv /

verb

  1. to give a thrust or push to (a person or thing)

  2. (tr) to give a violent push to; jostle

  3. (intr) to push one's way roughly

  4. informal (tr) to put (something) somewhere, esp hurriedly or carelessly

    shove it in the bin
"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

noun

  1. the act or an instance of shoving

"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
shove More Idioms  

  1. see push comes to shove; push (shove) off; ram (shove) down someone's throat; stick (shove) it.

Other Word Forms

  • shover noun
  • unshoved adjective

Etymology

Origin of shove1

First recorded before 900; (for the verb) Middle English shouven, shuven, Old English scēofan, scūfan; cognate with Dutch schuiven, obsolete German schauben, Old Norse skūfa; akin to Gothic -skiuban; noun derivative of the verb

Origin of shove2

First recorded in 1680–90; apparently variant of shive 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Just as roadkill summons vultures, so too does human misery summon journalists, who travel across the country to shove cameras and recorders at people enduring things no one should experience.

From Slate • Feb. 11, 2026

Palmer converted another spot-kick in the 35th minute after Yerson Mosquera's needless shove on Joao Pedro.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

“Right now, ICE is my 100% workload, and I have to shove everything else in,” Lewis said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Video evidence shows an agent shove Ramos-Brito, but does not clearly capture him shoving the agent back.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2025

Jamming her shoulder against it, she gives it a shove, then a stronger one, but nothing happens.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.