thrust

American  

[thruhst] / θrʌst /

verb (used with object)

• thrusts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• thrust,
  past participle,  past
• thrusting
  present participle

1. to push forcibly; shove; put or drive with force.

   He thrust his way through the crowd. She thrust a dagger into his back.

2. to put boldly forth or impose acceptance of.

   to thrust oneself into a conversation between others; to thrust a dollar into the waiter's hand.

3. to extend; present.

   He thrust his fist in front of my face.

4. Archaic. to stab or pierce, as with a sword.

   She thrust his back with a dagger.

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verb (used without object)

• thrusts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• thrust,
  past participle,  past
• thrusting
  present participle

1. to push against something.

2. to push or force one's way, as against obstacles or through a crowd.

3. to make a thrust, lunge, or stab at something.

noun

• thrusts
  plural

1. an act or instance of thrusting; a forcible push or shove; lunge or stab.

2. a lunge or stab, as with a sword.

3. Mechanics. a linear reactive force exerted by a propeller, propulsive gases, etc., to propel a ship, aircraft, etc.

4. Geology. a compressive strain in the crust of the earth that, in its most characteristic development, produces reverse or thrust faults.

5. the main point, purpose, or essence.

   The thrust of his speech was an urgent appeal for votes.

6. Machinery. a pushing force or pressure exerted by a thing or a part against a contiguous one.

7. Architecture. the downward and outward force exerted by an arch on each side.

8. an organized military attack; assault; offensive.

thrust British  

/ θrʌst /

verb

1. (tr) to push (someone or something) with force or sudden strength

   she thrust him away

   she thrust it into the fire

2. (tr) to force or impose upon (someone) or into (some condition or situation)

   they thrust extra responsibilities upon her

   she was thrust into the limelight

3. to pierce; stab

4. (intr; usually foll by through or into) to force a passage or entrance

5. (intr) to push forwards, upwards, or outwards

6. to make a stab or lunge at (a person or thing)

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noun

1. a forceful drive, push, stab, or lunge

2. a force, esp one that produces motion

3. 1. a propulsive force produced by the fluid pressure or the change of momentum of the fluid in a jet engine, rocket engine, etc

   2. a similar force produced by a propeller

4. a pressure that is exerted continuously by one part of an object, structure, etc, against another, esp the axial force by or on a shaft

5. geology

   1. the compressive force in the earth's crust that produces recumbent folds and thrust or reverse faults

   2. See thrust fault

6. civil engineering a force exerted in a downwards and outwards direction, as by an arch or rafter, or the horizontal force exerted by retained earth

7. force, impetus, or drive

   a man with thrust and energy

8. the essential or most forceful part

   the thrust of the argument

thrust Scientific  

/ thrŭst /

1. The force that propels an object in a given direction, especially when generated by the object itself, as by an engine or rocket.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterthrust
  noun
• prethrust
  noun
• unthrust
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• thrusts
  plural

Participles

• thrusting
  present
• thrust
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• thrust
  simple
• thrusts
  simple
• have thrust
  perfect
• has thrust
  perfect
• am thrusting
  progressive
• are thrusting
  progressive
• is thrusting
  progressive
• have been thrusting
  perfect progressive
• has been thrusting
  perfect progressive

Past

• thrust
  simple
• had thrust
  perfect
• was thrusting
  progressive
• were thrusting
  progressive
• had been thrusting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will thrust
  simple
• will have thrust
  perfect
• will be thrusting
  progressive
• will have been thrusting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of thrust

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English thrusten, thrysten (verb), from Old Norse thrȳsta “to force, press”

Explanation

To thrust is to push forward quickly and forcibly, like the way a pirate would plunge or thrust a sword into his enemy. Thrust is often used when you're talking about knives or swords or jabbing someone with something. In fact, a thrust refers to a sharp blow or stab. Violence aside, thrust can be any kind of forceful push or driving force. Aggressive street vendors thrust their wares on you and young movie stars are thrust into the limelight at an early age — which may be disconcerting, but certainly is not as frightening a knife thrust in your direction.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thrust thrusts thrusting

The two women have thrust the topic of maternal mental health into the spotlight—illuminating medical conditions that often get overlooked and undertreated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Slaughter doesn’t sound overwhelmed about being thrust into the starting role.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

One South African returnee, who had no military experience before being thrust into the war, told AFP he had "never been so afraid".

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

When the football did eventually begin, Infantino's relationship with Trump was thrust into the spotlight when the US President asked Fifa to overturn Folarin Balogun's one-match suspension.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

He thrust his hand into the bag, grabbed the first thing he found, and pulled out...a feather.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

It’s why Carson Zone is at the gym every Monday and Friday, grunting into weighted hip thrusts and pushing through heavy staggered lunges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

This breakup thrusts her into a public battle for her emotional security, and that would be the case regardless of whether she made it public.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026

The ruling thrusts the global trade economy into new and unfamiliar terrain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

If the blockage has not cleared, the NHS says the helper should try abdominal thrusts.

From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025

“And text constantly, and here”—she thrusts a mysterious manila envelope out at me, pulled from her bag.

From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle

By-elections have a habit of thrusting a constituency into the limelight and for five or six weeks part of Essex has again found itself at the centre of a media storm.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

"The spacecraft is in great shape, and we're on schedule to resume sustained thrusting with the solar-electric propulsion system later this fall."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

That milestone was also recently hit by Samsung Electronics and US chipmaker Micron -- with AI thrusting the three memory chip firms into a previously exclusive club of around a dozen companies, nearly all American.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Such hunting was an extremely risky business: The pelvic wound suggests that the hunter may have been directly beneath his prey, thrusting upward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

“Here is that which has fallen from the Overland. Remember what you choose you must carry,” instructed Mareth, thrusting a leather bag with a drawstring into his hands.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• dig
• elbow
• heave
• interject
• jab
• lob
• lunge
• nudge
• plunge
• poke
• propel
• punch
• shove
• sink
• sling
• smack
• stab
• stick