shove
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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shoves,
present (3rd person singular)
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shoved,
past participle, past
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shoving
present participle
-
to 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.
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Slang: Often Vulgar. to go to hell with.
Voters are telling Congress to shove its new tax plan.
verb (used without object)
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shoves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shoved,
past participle, past
-
shoving
present participle
-
to push.
OK, all hands on the back of this crate, and on the count of three, shove!
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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
verb phrase
idioms
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shove it, (used to express contempt or belligerence): Also stick it
I told them to take the job and shove it.
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when / if push comes to shove. push.
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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
noun
verb
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to give a thrust or push to (a person or thing)
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(tr) to give a violent push to; jostle
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(intr) to push one's way roughly
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informal (tr) to put (something) somewhere, esp hurriedly or carelessly
shove it in the bin
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shovesimple
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shovessimple
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have shovedperfect
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has shovedperfect
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am shovingprogressive
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are shovingprogressive
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is shovingprogressive
-
have been shovingperfect progressive
-
has been shovingperfect progressive
Past
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shovedsimple
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had shovedperfect
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was shovingprogressive
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were shovingprogressive
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had been shovingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
The early shove has been part of a longstanding, informal practice to allow air-traffic staff to leave early during less-busy times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
As Jay waddles into the water, the waves seem to want to shove the reedy young man back to shore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
On First Light, however, Ms. Brauer has to unstrap, shove across and resecure heavy packages before she can risk the same exercise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Thousands of football fans attempted to shove their way into Mexico City's official World Cup fan zone on Thursday, creating chaotic scenes shortly before kick-off in the opening game.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
I ball up her magical sweatshirt and jeans and shove them to the bottom of my bag.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
They said the agency at the time opted against tough discipline for controllers, in part because managers condoned the early shoves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
And another AI video on X depicts the pair running together through a city engulfed in flames before the female executive shoves him aside in a dramatic scene.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
Soon enough, it shoves out the old way of doing things entirely, leaving us with no living, breathing person left to hear our frustrations.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
None of his commanders spoke English, so instructions came through shoves and gestures.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
He takes up another morsel, shoves it in his maw.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Then shoved a box of tissues toward her—
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Why is that a favored constitutional provision while this stuff all gets shoved to the side?
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
The strategists also pointed out that investor rotation into other sectors has lifted growth prospects and valuations of many “old economy” industries, long shoved aside by investors.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
It came shortly after a foul when Bellingham shoved Jerome Opoku and tensions spilled over after the referee had blown for half-time.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
He made the pronouncement in a loud voice, to clearly communicate that he did not want to be here, did not want to have another stupid opportunity shoved down his throat.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
The crowd had made its allegiances clear after a fiery build-up which included Itauma shoving Hrgovic, the Zagreb man slapping him back and plenty of verbal sparring.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Holding, pushing, shoving, jostling and grappling inside the penalty area became something of an epidemic in the Premier League last season.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
I try to help them think through things rather than shoving anything down their throat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I’d never played a game like that with as many cheap shots and people shoving you in the back” forward Bradley Barcola said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Super easy,” Delia interjected, shoving another forkful of cake in her mouth.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
