Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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

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.

In 1977, Coe penned “Take This Job and Shove It,” which became a hit for Johnny Paycheck.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

And second, there’s the chart-topping country song “Take This Job and Shove It.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

In Philly, they affectionately call it the Brotherly Shove, and the Eagles used it to take a 17-10 lead in the third quarter on Hurts’ 1-yard touchdown run.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 18, 2023

Shove the couch to block one door, move a large table to cover the other.

From Washington Post • Jun. 1, 2022

Shove the ladder, slamming the overhead door shut.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

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.