shove

verb \ ˈshəv \

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

But his presence in the lineup has meant fewer at-bats for rookie Jorge Bonifacio, who was shoved out of the starting lineup following the acquisition of outfielder Melky Cabrera.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "The bottom two hitters in the Royals lineup? They’re historically bad," 28 Aug. 2017
Antetokounmpo then started the 2015-'16 season by serving a suspension for shoving Mike Dunleavy during the 2015 playoffs.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Giannis Antetokounmpo to miss European championships; Greek federation alleges conspiracy," 19 Aug. 2017
After recovering the ball at the Dolphins’ 24-yard-line, Tucker tried to head upfield, but he was shoved out of bounds by Miami defensive end Julius Warmsley.

— jeff zrebiec, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens kicker Justin Tucker makes big play, then gets grief about it from teammates," 19 Aug. 2017
When Leaf shoved the obsidian dagger into the chest of one of the First Men nearly 12,000 years ago, the Night King was born.

— chanel vargas, Harper's BAZAAR, "Dragonglass Might Not Be Able to Kill the Night King, According to This Fan Theory," 9 Aug. 2017
Trump’s gruff and occasionally confrontational manner has also ruffled feathers and led to memorable diplomatic moments, from shoving his way to the front of a G-20 family photo to awkward handshakes with other leaders.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Leaked Trump Transcripts Show Fraught Relationships With World Leaders," 3 Aug. 2017
His trademark style is to rip the frankfurters from their buns, inhale the meat, then dip the dough in a cup of water before shoving it in his mouth.

— joseph gerth, The Courier-Journal, "The Courier-Journal made a mistake, and it's time to be frank about it | Joseph Gerth," 19 July 2017
Immediately, the loser mouse began to shove the winner mouse vigorously, winning almost every contest.

— annalee newitz, Ars Technica, "A brain implant turns “loser” mice into aggressive fighters," 17 July 2017
According to police reports, officers at 1:16 a.m. were investigating reports of a fight at a business in the 500 block of North Milwaukee Avenue when Zakharov shoved and attempted to punch one of the officers.

— pioneer press, chicagotribune.com, "Libertyville police: Taser used on man who tried to punch officer," 17 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

shove Synonyms

Synonyms

drive, propel, push, thrust

Related Words

impel, move; bear (down), compress, depress, jam, pressure, squash, squeeze, weigh (upon); bulldoze, compel, force, lean (on or against), muscle, ram

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

The teams began to scuffle in the pile, and the shoves turned into the fight as both benches cleared and blows were thrown.

— amos morale iii, NOLA.com, "Helen Cox, Higgins to forfeit season openers after jamboree fight, LHSAA rules," 29 Aug. 2017
The dugout disagreement occurred during a wild sixth inning that saw Miguel Cabrera shove, then threw a punch at Yankees catcher Austin Romine, the brother of Tigers utilityman Andrew Romine.

— george sipple, Detroit Free Press, "Tigers mum over Verlander/Martinez dustup after brawl with Yankees," 24 Aug. 2017
The shove of the official preceded Ronaldo receiving a second yellow for diving.

— bud shaw, cleveland.com, "Can the Cavaliers rediscover the vibe that ended the championship drought? -- Bud Shaw's Spinoffs," 17 Aug. 2017
Now, a photon that is approaching the drum skin for the first oscillator gives it a little shove, timed to excite the drum motion.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Negative mass swing beats the uncertainty principle," 1 Aug. 2017
Then defensive end Damontre Moore and backup guard Ruben Carter got in a couple of extra shoves after a play.

— clarence e. hill jr., star-telegram, "Cowboys get into three fights at practice; Jerry Jones liked it," 27 July 2017
Indy opened the scoring in the 17th minute when forward Justin Braun received a shove in the 18-yard box on the dangerous service from left fullback Nemanja Vukovic.

— kevin johnston, Indianapolis Star, "Eleven’s unblemished summer continues in win over Cosmos," 8 July 2017
Cavs center Tristan Thompson took exception to an extra shove by West and quickly ran to stand up for his teammate and got in West’s face.

— jason jones, sacbee.com, "The advantage in The Finals goes to the aggressor," 12 June 2017
Replay showed Smith shove West from behind during the altercation.

— joe noga, cleveland.com, "Technical fouls issued in Game 5 as Cavs Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith mix it up with Warriors F David West," 12 June 2017

First Known Use of shove

14th century

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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