shove

1 of 4

verb

ˈshəv 

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

shove

2 of 4

noun (1)

: an act or instance of shoving : a forcible push

shover

3 of 4

noun (2)

shov·​er

ˈshəvə(r)

plural -s

: one that shoves: such as

a

: an aggressive person

b

: a passer of counterfeit money

c

: a slaughterhouse worker who pushes carcasses and cuts from place to place on an overhead conveyor

shover

4 of 4

noun (3)

shov·​er

ˈshəvə(r

plural -s

slang, British

: chauffeur

Synonyms of shove

Verb

• push
• drive
• thrust

Examples of shove in a Sentence

Verb

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.

Noun (1)

He gave the door a shove, and it opened.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Before the parade, a small group of people were crushed against a barrier near Fulton Street, a key subway hub, pinned between a swelling crowd and a group of police officers shoving the barrier. — Anthony Izaguirre, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026

The victim was then shoved onto the tracks and suffered cuts to his head and nose, plus bruising to his arms, police said. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 June 2026

Noun

Wembanyama had previously gotten away with a Game 3 shove of Brunson, which the NBA later said should have been called a foul. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026

The appeal is torque, rhythm and its sweet shove. — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (2)

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

Noun (3)

by alteration

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing shove

• force/ram/shove (something) down someone's throat
• push comes to shove
• shove it
• shove off
• shove over
• shove up

Rhymes for shove

• dove
• glove
• love
• of
• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• hereinabove

Kids Definition

shove

1 of 2 verb

ˈshəv 

shoved; shoving

1

: to push with steady force

2

: to push along or away carelessly or rudely

shoved her out of the way

3

: depart sense 1

—usually used with off

time to shove off for home

shover noun

shove

2 of 2 noun

: an act or instance of shoving