pushback

noun

push·​back ˈpu̇sh-ˌbak 

1

: the action of forcing an object backward

2

: resistance or opposition in response to a policy or regulation especially by those affected

Examples of pushback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Flats didn't fly through the approval process The Flats didn't get built without pushback in Brookfield. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025

Networks and stations should know that such venom could now carry sizable public pushback. —Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025

Facing strong pushback from Cassidy and other critics last week, the ACIP decided to postpone a vote on a proposal to recommend delaying the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine until an infant is at least 1 month old. —Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 24 Sep. 2025

But by the early 2010s the firm began to get pushback—from both activists and clients—for financing the polluting sector. —Justin Worland, Time, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pushback

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback