1
as in to push
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
I had to keep shoving my heavy suitcase as I slowly made my way to the head of the line
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to press
to push steadily against with some force
quit shoving your hand in my face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shove
Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2026
Webster reached down and shoved the barricade toward Rathbun.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
According to the lawsuit, the shove caused Hernandez to fall into a female friend riding a different minibike to his right.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shove
Verb
Surveillance footage showed Reedus and McKissic continuing to argue on the front porch, then Reedus pulled a handgun, shoved McKissic off the porch and fired at him multiple times, knocking him to the ground, according to court documents.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2026
Webster reached down and shoved the barricade toward Rathbun.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
However, in his report, the officer did not mention his initial shove from behind.
—CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
According to the lawsuit, the shove caused Hernandez to fall into a female friend riding a different minibike to his right.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shove
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shove
Verb
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The agent shoves the observer again, and then turns his attention to Pretti, pushing him out of the way before shoving the observer to the ground.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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How the producers aren’t manipulative gods, but brilliant storytellers, animated by their own needs and insecurities, who sometimes push too hard in their quest to alchemize real people into three-act structure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gently press a pump or two into skin, then follow with its Tiger Grass Treatment SPF 30 (one of our favorite Korean skin-care products) for additional color-correcting.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2026
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The president pressed him to cooperate with immigration authorities, according to Walz.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The driver then drove into the city of Wheat Ridge and allegedly crashed into a Honda Pilot near Pierce Street and West 32nd Avenue several minutes later before continuing on.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And in an attention economy, interpretation doesn’t stay unfilled; it gets rented by whoever can compress it fastest.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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This breakthrough, which earned Isomorphic founder Demis Hassabis a Nobel Prize in 2024, offered the first seismic proof that AI could compress biological research processes that once took years into mere minutes.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In Nix’s place, Payton told reporters that Stidham, who hasn’t thrown a pass since Week 18 of the 2023 season, would be thrust into starting action for this weekend’s AFC title game.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
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The documentary, which won a BAFTA and an Academy Award, thrust both its subject and the sport of free solo climbing—the act of ascending a cliff or mountain alone, without any ropes, harnesses or safety gear—into the spotlight.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shove.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shove. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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