thrust

1 of 2

verb

thrust; thrusting

transitive verb

1
: to push or drive with force : shove
2
: to cause to enter or pierce something by or as if by pushing
thrust a dagger into his heart
3
4
5
a
: to put (someone, such as an unwilling person) forcibly into a course of action or position
was thrust into the job
b
: to introduce often improperly into a position : interpolate
6
: to press, force, or impose the acceptance of upon someone
thrust new responsibilities upon her

intransitive verb

1
a
: to force an entrance or passage
b
: to push forward : press onward
c
: to push upward : project
2
: to make a thrust, stab, or lunge with or as if with a pointed weapon
thrust at them with a knife

thrust

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a forward or upward push
b
: a movement (as by a group of people) in a specified direction
2
a
: salient or essential element or meaning
the thrust of the argument
b
: principal concern or objective
the plan's major thrust is testingRyan Lizza
3
a
: a strong continued pressure
b
: the sideways force or pressure of one part of a structure against another part (as of an arch against an abutment)
c
: the force produced by a propeller or by a jet or rocket engine that drives a vehicle (such as an aircraft) forward
d
: a nearly horizontal geologic fault
4
a
: a push or lunge with a pointed weapon
b(1)
: a verbal attack
(2)
: a military assault

Examples of thrust in a Sentence

Verb He thrust his hands into his pockets. He thrust his fist into the air. The doctor thrust the needle into the patient's arm. He thrust at me with his sword. Noun With one last thrust he broke through the barrier. a single thrust of his sword
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The friend found Miller unresponsive, thrust naloxone — the opioid overdose reversal medication — up his nose and dialed 911. Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 While William, the Prince of Wales, is no stranger to the public eye, the conversation of his throne inheritance thrusts him even further into the spotlight. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 The June incident thrust the city’s violence into national news, sparking cries for officials in and out of schools to better protect students. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Each room thrusts Peach into a different scene of the show that’s been overtaken and rewritten by Grape. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024 At the same time, in the late 19th and early 20th century, the Gila River Indian Community, which has relied on its eponymous river for farming for millennia, was thrust into crisis and famine when the river was dammed upstream. Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 Detectives Rea Thomas and Vikram Singh are thrust into a dark world where these bone-chilling murders are not just random acts of violence but also part of a sinister plan orchestrated by a century-old secret society. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 The Zero Noise system connecting shaft lines to thrust bearings rather than the gear box has mechanical advantages but also minimizes noise and vibration. Kathleen Turner, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Following the first of its kind three-point competition at this year’s All-Star Game – with NBA pitted against WNBA in ‘Stephen vs. Sabrina’ – some are suggesting an expansion of the format, with Clark thrust in. Ben Morse, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
That year, its arts council released a report outlining strategies for the city’s cultural thrust — a long view that has paid off decades later. Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Photo : Honda Honda VTOL Mobility behemoth Honda is leveraging its extensive knowledge from its HondaJet to develop a unique tiltrotor VTOL, with eight rotors for vertical lift and two rotors for horizontal thrust. Dan Sloat, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2024 This thrust broke the stock out of a range that can be seen in the weekly strip in the three-up chart below. Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 That seems to be a position that is at war with the whole thrust of the 14th Amendment and very ahistorical. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2024 The United States had urged Ukraine to focus all forces on a single thrust to break Russian lines in the south. Marc Santora, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 The last two administrations, Biden's and Trump's, have made returning manufacturing to the United States a central thrust of their policies. Gautam Mukunda, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 There would be more microphones thrust at them and cameras zooming in for close-ups. Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2024 In comparison, a Falcon 9 rocket also generates 1.7 million pounds of thrust while Falcon Heavy generates 5.1 million pounds of thrust. Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English thrusten, thristen, from Old Norse thrȳsta; probably akin to Old Norse thrjōta to tire, Old English thrēat coercion — more at threat

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Time Traveler
The first known use of thrust was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near thrust

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

thrust

1 of 2 verb
thrust; thrusting
1
: to push or drive with force : shove
2
: to cause to enter or pierce something by pushing
thrust a knife into the bread
3
: to press or force the acceptance of upon someone
thrust new responsibilities upon her

thrust

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a push or lunge with a pointed weapon
b
: a military attack
2
: the force produced by a propeller or jet or rocket engine that drives an aircraft or rocket forward
3
a
: a forward or upward push
b
: a movement (as by a group of people) in a particular direction

More from Merriam-Webster on thrust

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