shove

¹

[shohv]

noun

1. boon.

shove

²

[shuhv]

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.

shove

/ 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

noun

1. the act or an instance of shoving

Other Word Forms

• shover noun
• unshoved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shove¹

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

Origin of shove²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shove¹

Old English scūfan; related to Old Norse skūfa to push, Gothic afskiuban to push away, Old High German skioban to shove

Idioms and Phrases

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

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

Example Sentences

Billionaires shouldn’t be shoving candidates out of the race and reducing the choices for voters.

Read more on Salon

Hybrid players are a bit like concept cars - glitzy, intriguing ideas but, when push comes to shove, coaches have invariably chosen something more reliable and conventional to actually go from A to B.

Read more on BBC

She heard a grunt, and the sounds of hay bales being shoved aside.

Read more on Literature

At one point, Afghan police officers attempting to control the crowd shoved Ibrahim to the ground.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Pedri was sent off in the final seconds for a second yellow card for a late foul on Tchouameni, sparking a brief sideline shoving match, while players from both sides rowed after the final whistle.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• cram 
• dig 
• elbow 
• hustle 
• jab 
• nudge 
• poke 
• thrust