shove

verb \ ˈshəv \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Examples: shove in a Sentence

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

He was immediately swarmed as people tried to shove their way through the cameras following him to touch the trophy or the man.

— isabelle khurshudyan, chicagotribune.com, "Alex Ovechkin brings the Stanley Cup to his homeland of Russia: 'It was incredible'," 9 July 2018
Players can be seen chasing each other for several minutes, eventually kicking and shoving each other.

— nihal kolur, SI.com, "Watch: Unbelievable Fight Breaks Out During Brazilian Serie D Game," 9 July 2018
Afterward, Cormier called out a cageside Brock Lesnar, who entered the octagon and immediately shoved the new champ.

— steven marrocco, USA TODAY, "Daniel Cormier takes heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, now 2-division champ," 8 July 2018
Her nightmares still brought the men in green with their rifles and shoving hands.

— New York Times, "When a Baby Is an Everyday Reminder of Rohingya Horror," 7 July 2018
That last one has a classical piano solo shoved into the middle that works somehow.

— tom philip, GQ, "It’s Time to Admit You Love Muse," 5 July 2018
The conservative news show Fox and Friends aired a two-minute segment poking fun at the carrot dog, too, which featured host Pete Hegseth eating a raw carrot shoved between two buns.

— emily atkin, The New Republic, "Why Do Carrot Hot Dogs Make You So Mad?," 3 July 2018
In the video, the officer can be seen talking with the couple, before the male suspect shoves the female suspect toward the officer.

— amy b wang, ajc, "Cameras capture every angle of Canadian couple's snack-throwing, ceiling-shattering arrest," 1 July 2018
In the video, the officer can be seen talking with the couple, before the male suspect shoves the female suspect toward the officer.

— amy b wang, Washington Post, "Cameras capture every angle of Canadian couple’s snack-throwing, ceiling-shattering arrest," 30 June 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

To find out, Micheli and his colleagues first simulated its journey through the solar system, accounting for gravitational shoves from all eight planets, Pluto, the moon and the largest bodies in the Asteroid Belt.

— nola taylor redd, Scientific American, "Interstellar Mystery Object Now Thought to Be a Comet," 27 June 2018
The players traded shoves before their teammates separated them.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Matt Kemp ejected in Dodgers' 3-2 extra-inning win over the Rangers," 14 June 2018
George was not injured in the shove, and Savannah’s mother, Autumn, can be seen immediately reprimanding her.

— josh duboff, Vanities, "Prince George Goes Tumbling After a Push from Cousin Savannah," 13 June 2018
Instead, Dietrich gave Caratini a hard shove, which prompted benches to empty.

— clark spencer, miamiherald, "Marlins let lead slip away, lose 4-3 to the Cubs | Miami Herald," 8 May 2018
Everton fans have been left incensed by Liverpool supporters' hypocrisy concerning a shove from Andy Robertson during his side's match against Roma.

— SI.com, "Everton Fans Call for Defender to Be Banned for Champions League Final After 'Hypocrisy'," 4 May 2018
Smith said his investigators are trying to determine if a shove or punch caused Payne to fall to the ground.

— tony thomas, ajc, "63-year-old critically injured after fight over handicap parking spot," 6 Mar. 2018
The Aggies' 68-66 victory over the Crimson Tide in Reed Arena featured awful shooting by both sides, disjointed offenses, a shove upside the head and even a player getting his lips stuck in his braces, prompting a dash to the locker room.

— brent zwerneman, Houston Chronicle, "Aggies close out regular season with win over Alabama," 3 Mar. 2018
Oshie gave Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller a little shove, eliminating him from the play and allowing Backstrom to skate toward Fleury.

— tyler horka, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Final: Capitals Roll to Game 4 Win, 3-1 Series Lead Over Golden Knights," 4 June 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

Learn More about shove

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up shove? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

shove

Definition of shove

shover

Examples of shove in a Sentence

Recent Examples of shove from the Web

Origin and Etymology of shove

shove Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

shove

Definition of shove

Examples of shove in a Sentence

Recent Examples of shove from the Web

First Known Use of shove

Phrases Related to SHOVE

Related Phrases

SHOVE Defined for English Language Learners

shove

Definition of shove for English Language Learners

shove

Definition of shove for English Language Learners

SHOVE Defined for Kids

shove

Definition of shove for Students

shove

Definition of shove for Students

Learn More about shove

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Kayfabe': It's Illusive and Elusive

Trending: Pirro: I'm Not an 'Ideologue'

5 Words for Clumsy People

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Ghost Word