thrust

verb

\ ˈthrəst

thrust; thrusting

Definition of thrust

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 : extend, spread

4 : stab, pierce

5a : 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

1a : 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

noun

Definition of thrust (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : a forward or upward push

b : a movement (as by a group of people) in a specified direction

2a : salient or essential element or meaning the thrust of the argument

b : principal concern or objective the plan's major thrust is testing— Ryan Lizza

3a : 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 geological fault

4a : a push or lunge with a pointed weapon

b(1) : a verbal attack

(2) : a military assault

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about thrust

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Synonyms for thrust

Synonyms: Verb

drive, propel, push, shove

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

As the events thrust fully into the realm of the surreal, the movie maintains its emotional truth. — Aisha Harris, New York Times, "Like ‘Sorry to Bother You’? Stream These Five Dark Social Satires Next," 6 July 2018 When Dupree opened his mouth to talk, his tongue would thrust out against his will. — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, "The radio man without a voice," 15 June 2018 This time the eruption rattled the couple’s big landscape windows, the result of the frequent banging as vents thrust out steam and gas that serves as a nerve-jangling score to life here now. — Scott Wilson, Washington Post, "The earth cracked open. Walls of lava encroached. That’s just life on a Hawaiian volcano.," 19 May 2018 When a viral photo of Devonte crying and hugging a white officer during a protest of police violence thrust the Harts into the national spotlight in 2014, many celebrated the moment as a symbol of hope for racial harmony. — Joe Heim And Julie Tate, chicagotribune.com, "As children begged for help, adoption system failed them," 13 July 2018 The war has killed over 10,000 people and thrust the Arab world's poorest country into what the U.N. has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis. — Jennifer Peltz, Fox News, "UN Yemen envoy: 'Confident' pact can be reached on port city," 21 June 2018 Such a move could thrust Congress even deeper into an ongoing investigation -- uncharted territory for lawmakers, and a mark of the deep partisan divisions over Rosenstein and his appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. — Billy House, Bloomberg.com, "Rosenstein Faces Vote in U.S. House on GOP Demands for Documents," 26 June 2018 With that strange decision came the arrival of the 'Official World Cup Mascot', and ever since, our lives have been blessed with whatever the inhabitants of the host nation decide to thrust upon us. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 3 Days to Go - Ranking Every World Cup Mascot by How 'Hard' They Are," 11 June 2018 When you're done with all of your reps, perform a back swing: Bring the bell through your legs but instead of thrusting your hips forward to bring it to shoulder level, safely place it back down and return back to the initial hike position. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "How to Do the Perfect Kettlebell Swing," 4 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The YouTuber and daughter of Full House actress Lori Loughlin has been thrust into the spotlight thanks to a scandal revolving around parents who allegedly bribed schools to accept their kids. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Who is Olivia Jade? All About the YouTuber At the Center of the College Bribery Scandal," 13 Mar. 2019 When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. . — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "#ReadWithMC Reviews Fiona Barton's 'The Suspect'," 4 Mar. 2019 Russia’s first big thrust came in September 2015, when Moscow surprised the world with a bombing campaign in Syria that saved from defeat the bloodstained regime of President Bashar al-Assad. — Angela Stent, WSJ, "Vladimir Putin’s Big Push Into the Middle East," 15 Feb. 2019 Your larger-than-usual uterus can also crowd your stomach and thrust digestive acids upward, creating heartburn in the process. — Korin Miller, SELF, "7 Ways to Make Sleep More Comfortable When You’re Pregnant," 31 Jan. 2019 The outfit piously declares that SOME people make good and responsible parents, but its basic thrust is that kids are a pain. — Charles Mccabe, San Francisco Chronicle, "Motherhood???, Charles McCabe, 1975," 14 June 2018 The main thrust of this push is to track down people who gamed the deportation system: those who were ordered deported but later gained citizenship or legal residency under a different identity. — Adiel Kaplan, miamiherald, "Miami grandma targeted as U.S. takes aim at naturalized immigrants with prior offenses," 9 July 2018 While the thrust of the near 750 marches and rallies was to defend 2,000 children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, the tone was decidedly political. — USA TODAY, "Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend," 1 July 2018 The thrust of the book is promoting gut health the natural way. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Opa! Fest celebrates 25 years of Greek festivities in Troy," 19 June 2018

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