pushover

noun

push·​over ˈpu̇sh-ˌō-vər How to pronounce pushover (audio)
1
: something accomplished without difficulty : snap
2
: an opponent who is easy to defeat or a victim who is capable of no effective resistance
3
: someone unable to resist an attraction or appeal : sucker

Examples of pushover in a Sentence

They thought the first team they played would be a pushover. The exam was a pushover. Dad's a pushover. He'll let me do anything I want.
Recent Examples on the Web Pittsburgh may be at the bottom of the division again but won’t be an impotent pushover even though its payroll of $89.7 million is the league’s lowest, using calculations by Cot’s. Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Judging from last week's performance, Arizona is not going to be a pushover. David Brandt, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024 When Charlene comes up with a not exactly legal way to adopt a Vietnamese child, Tricia seems a pushover for the plan. Diane Scharper, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 But Trixie was no pushover, and Randolph summoned righteous indignation whenever Ed was out of line. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2024 Humility doesn’t mean being a pushover Despite these benefits, sometimes humility gets a bad rap. Daryl Van Tongeren, Discover Magazine, 1 Jan. 2024 Dewey has spent years crashing with his former bandmate Ned, a pushover who strayed from the divine light of rock and roll to become a substitute teacher. Chris Stanton, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2023 It’s alleged that he was struck, in the classroom, by a teacher, Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama), and Saori, who is no pushover, goes to school to complain. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2023 Neither is a pushover, but those games should still result in wins. Stephen Means, cleveland, 1 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pushover.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pushover was in 1906

Dictionary Entries Near pushover

Cite this Entry

“Pushover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pushover. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pushover

noun
push·​over ˈpu̇sh-ˌō-vər How to pronounce pushover (audio)
1
: an opponent easy to defeat or incapable of resistance
2
: someone unable to resist an attraction or appeal
3
: something easily done : snap

More from Merriam-Webster on pushover

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