shove

verb \ ˈshəv \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of shove

shoved; shoving

transitive verb

1 : to push along

2 : to push or put in a rough, careless, or hasty manner : thrust

3 : to force by other than physical means : compel

shove a bill through the legislature

intransitive verb

1 : to move by forcing a way

bargain hunters shoving up to the counter

2 a : to move something by exerting force

b : leave —usually used with off

shoved off for home

—

shover

noun

See shove defined for English-language learners

See shove defined for kids

Examples of shove in a Sentence

He shoved the door until it finally opened.
A large man shoved me out of the way.
She shoved her plate aside.
He shoved me into the pool.
A group of security guards shoved through the crowd.
The children were pushing and shoving to see the clowns.

Recent Examples of shove from the Web

Prince Charles appears at the ready to shoot the animal, but Harry jumps up and shoves his father’s gun away just in time to save the lion.

— lena grossman, Time, "The Most Over-the-Top Moments from Lifetime's Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance," 14 May 2018
After James Harden drove to the basket and scored over Kevin Durant, Draymond Green responded by throwing a forearm into Harden’s neck and shoving the Rockets guard.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Draymond Green got hit with a technical for shoving James Harden 67 seconds into Game 1," 14 May 2018
Got up on my way-too-short ladder and risked my life to shove an empty citronella candle tin into the hole.

— rasputin todd, Cincinnati.com, "The diary of a broken man and his 'pet' raccoon," 11 May 2018
When Republicans offered their own #resist movement in the first two years of the Obama presidency, the GOP shoved most of their chips on the president’s initially unpopular health insurance program.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Dems need to get specific," 10 May 2018
Dozens of videos quickly surfaced on social media after Saturday's graduation ceremony showing a man in University of Florida academic garb shoving graduating black students toward the other side of the stage.

— NBC News, "University of Florida employee manhandles black graduates at commencement," 7 May 2018
The arrests added images of swinging nightsticks and shoving matches with the police to the inaugural events.

— andrew e. kramer, BostonGlobe.com, "Putin starts 4th term with coronation-style ceremony," 7 May 2018
Parallel to the crease, Killorn shovels the puck into traffic, right as Girardi shoves off Gionta and angles his stick ahead.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "A Game of Oddities: Tampa Bay's Game 4 Win Over Boston Featured Several Puzzling Moments," 5 May 2018
The professor has hardly finished briefing the class on the final when Ronny is shoving through the heavy door and throttling toward his car.

— claire mcneill, miamiherald, "This student became a paraplegic in FSU shooting. He fights to exist, to graduate. | Miami Herald," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shove.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of shove

Middle English, from Old English scūfan to thrust away; akin to Old High German scioban to push and probably to Lithuanian skubti to hurry

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

shove Synonyms

Synonyms

bear (down on), depress, press, weigh (on or upon);

compel, force, pressure;

lean (on or against), muscle;

drive, propel, thrust;

compact, condense, constrict, contract, crush, scrunch, wring;

cram, jam, jam-pack, pack, stuff, wedge;

shove

noun

Definition of shove

: an act or instance of shoving : a forcible push

See shove defined for English-language learners

Examples of shove in a Sentence

He gave the door a shove, and it opened.

Recent Examples of shove from the Web

Surveillance shows a corrections officer shove Mark Myers before colliding with a block structure, a lawsuit says.

— kevin grasha, Cincinnati.com, "Hamilton County will pay $500,000 to man seriously injured by jail officer," 11 May 2018
There were shoves and heated discussions throughout the match, which was played under steady rain and on a heavy pitch.

— USA TODAY, "Barcelona's Pique scores late to silence Espanyol crowd," 4 Feb. 2018
Covington, however, gave a politically correct response for the shove that triggered the melee.

— keith pompey, Philly.com, "Sixers beat Heat in Game 4 behind Ben Simmons triple-double, Joel Embiid's rim protection," 21 Apr. 2018
According to Polish media, the shove was meant as a joke.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Girl is accidentally pushed under a bus by her friend. Should friend go to prison? | The Kansas City Star," 17 Apr. 2018
Ninety-nine percent of the hockey-playing population would only be able to manage a feeble shove of the puck into Holtby’s pads in that situation.

— eric single, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Playoffs Roundup: Blue Jackets Take 2-0 Series Lead Back to Columbus," 16 Apr. 2018
Rubio came back at him, and that’s when Chriss raced over and gave Rubio a hard two-handed shove, knocking him to the floor.

— scott bordow, azcentral, "Suns awaiting word on possible Marquese Chriss suspension," 16 Mar. 2018
His shove of Aminu on that final meaningful rebound sequence will never be mistaken for a hug.

— john canzano, OregonLive.com, "Canzano: Houston Rockets red glare too much for Lillard and Co.," 21 Mar. 2018
Getting physical For the third straight game, Trocheck took a big hit on Saturday, this one courtesy of a shove from behind by Oilers forward Milan Lucic that sent Trocheck into the goalpost.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Loss to Edmonton pushes Panthers further from the playoff picture," 18 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of shove

14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SHOVE Defined for English Language Learners

shove

verb

Definition of shove for English Language Learners

: to push (something) with force
: to push (someone or something) along or away in a rough or careless way

shove

noun

Definition of shove for English Language Learners

: a strong, forceful push

SHOVE Defined for Kids

shove

verb \ ˈshəv \

Definition of shove for Students

shoved; shoving

1 : to push with steady force

He shoved the box under the table.

2 : to push along or away carelessly or rudely

She shoved me out of the way.

shove

noun

Definition of shove for Students

: a forceful push

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See words that rhyme with shove Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shove Spanish Central: Translation of shove Nglish: Translation of shove for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shove for Arabic speakers

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shover

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shove

Definition of shove

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Definition of shove for English Language Learners

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Definition of shove for English Language Learners

SHOVE Defined for Kids

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