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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

push.

To apply a force to (an object) such that it moves away from the person or thing applying the force.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/pʊʃ/[pʷʊʃ]/pʉʃ/Northern-Ireland, Scotland[puʃ]Appalachia
  1. To apply a force to (an object) such that it moves away from the person or thing applying the force.

    intransitive · transitive
    In his anger he pushed me against the wall and threatened me.
    You need to push quite hard to get this door open.
  2. To continually attempt to persuade (a person) into a particular course of action.

    transitive
  3. To press or urge forward; to drive.

    transitive
    to push an objection too far; to push one's luck
  4. To continually promote (a point of view, a product for sale, etc.).

    transitive
    Stop pushing the issue — I'm not interested.
    They're pushing that perfume again.
  5. To continually exert oneself in order to achieve a goal.

    intransitive
  6. To approach; to come close to.

    informal · participle · present · regional · transitive
    My old car is pushing 250,000 miles.
    He's pushing sixty.
  7. To tense the muscles in the abdomen in order to give birth or defecate.

    intransitive
    During childbirth, there are times when the obstetrician advises the woman not to push.
  8. To continue to attempt to persuade a person into a particular course of action.

    intransitive
  9. To make a higher bid at an auction.

  10. To make an all-in bet.

  11. To move (a pawn) directly forward.

    transitive
  12. To add (a data item) to the top of a stack.

  13. To publish (an update, etc.) by transmitting it to other computers.

  14. To thrust the points of the horns against; to gore.

    obsolete
  15. To burst out of its pot, as a bud or shoot.

  16. To strike the cue ball in such a way that it stays in contact with the cue and object ball at the same time (a foul shot).

Where this word comes from

From Middle English pushen, poshen, posson, borrowed from Middle French pousser (Modern French pousser) from Old French poulser, from Latin pulsare (“to beat, strike”), frequentative of pellere (past participle pulsus). Doublet of pulsate and pulse (verb). Partly displaced native Old English sċūfan, whence Modern English shove.

noun/pʊʃ/[pʷʊʃ]/pʉʃ/Northern-Ireland, Scotland[puʃ]Appalachia
  1. A short, directed application of force; an act of pushing.

    countable · uncountable
    Give the door a hard push if it sticks.
  2. An act of tensing the muscles of the abdomen in order to expel its contents.

    countable · uncountable
    One more push and the baby will be out.
  3. A great effort (to do something).

    countable · uncountable
    Some details got lost in the push to get the project done.
    Let's give one last push on our advertising campaign.
  4. An attempt to persuade someone into a particular course of action.

    countable · uncountable
  5. A force that impels or pressures one to act.

    countable · figuratively · uncountable
  6. A marching or drill maneuver/manoeuvre performed by moving a formation (especially a company front) forward or toward the audience, usually to accompany a dramatic climax or crescendo in the music.

    countable · uncountable
  7. A wager that results in no loss or gain for the bettor as a result of a tie or even score

    countable · uncountable
  8. The addition of a data item to the top of a stack.

    countable · uncountable
  9. The situation where a server sends data to a client without waiting for a request.

    Internet · uncountable
    server push; a push technology
  10. A particular crowd or throng or people.

    Australia · UK · countable · obsolete · slang · uncountable
  11. A push shot.

    countable · uncountable
  12. An attempt to give momentum to a wrestler's career in the form of victories and/or more screen time.

    countable · slang · uncountable
  13. A push-button, such as a bell push.

    countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Middle English pushen, poshen, posson, borrowed from Middle French pousser (Modern French pousser) from Old French poulser, from Latin pulsare (“to beat, strike”), frequentative of pellere (past participle pulsus). Doublet of pulsate and pulse (verb). Partly displaced native Old English sċūfan, whence Modern English shove.

noun/pʊʃ//pʌʃ/
  1. A pustule; a pimple.

    UK · dialectal · obsolete
Where this word comes from

Probably French poche. See pouch.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.