1
as in ambitious
having a strong desire for personal advancement
among the young associates at the law firm, he was unmistakably the most pushing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
the sort of sycophantic, pushing man on the make that everyone loves to hate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in shoving
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
I had to push my damaged bike all the way home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pushing
Hamza Shaban, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2022
Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Nearly half a million people in New Jersey lost enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits this year, pushing their premiums up, but the impact goes far beyond those who got the credits.
—Mahsa Saeidi, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The Greenland situation reminds me of a story about a bunch of South American cowboys pushing a herd toward a creek known to be infested with piranhas.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
Hundreds of film screenings, talks and other events await Dutch and international cineasts, with the program ranging from more popular fare to envelope-pushing arthouse movies.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, McConaughey, 56, is pushing his buttons in defense of food.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Friends of the Everglades is pushing for 160 square miles of additional conservation land in the Everglades Agricultural Area, to create space for 1 million more acre-feet of water storage.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Lumus is pushing augmented reality eyewear closer to everyday use with the debut of two new geometric waveguides at CES 2026, building on a milestone year in which its optics powered Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Musk plunged into a controversy of his own making after tweeting and deleting a post pushing baseless allegations about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
—Hamza Shaban, Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2022
Verb
In early 2026, the car brands leading in advanced AI are primarily split between those pushing the boundaries of full autonomous driving like Tesla, and those integrating sophisticated, safe and intuitive AI into the user experience like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Lawmakers were pushing a measure, similar to those enacted in Australia and Canada, that would have forced tech giants to pay online publishers for the ransacking, er, use, of their journalistic content.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Nearly half a million people in New Jersey lost enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits this year, pushing their premiums up, but the impact goes far beyond those who got the credits.
—Mahsa Saeidi, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The Greenland situation reminds me of a story about a bunch of South American cowboys pushing a herd toward a creek known to be infested with piranhas.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
Hundreds of film screenings, talks and other events await Dutch and international cineasts, with the program ranging from more popular fare to envelope-pushing arthouse movies.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, McConaughey, 56, is pushing his buttons in defense of food.
—Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
Friends of the Everglades is pushing for 160 square miles of additional conservation land in the Everglades Agricultural Area, to create space for 1 million more acre-feet of water storage.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Lumus is pushing augmented reality eyewear closer to everyday use with the debut of two new geometric waveguides at CES 2026, building on a milestone year in which its optics powered Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pushing
Adjective
-
The brainchild of Chris Roberts, the mind behind Wing Commander and Freelancer, Star Citizen is probably the most ambitious ongoing project in video games, having raised nearly one billion dollars in funding as of this writing.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Originally conceived in the late 1950s as an ambitious shopping mall, the project was never completed and was later repurposed by security forces.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
China has been particularly busy, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ireland's Prime Minister Michael Martin, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Starmer all visiting Beijing this month.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
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But Greenstein says that keeping your child’s favorite toys handy in one spot around the home where kids feel comfortable and safe can give busy parents some time (even if just a few minutes) to call a friend, make a cup of coffee, take that shower, or even do a quick workout routine.—
Jillian Pretzel,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fears, who led Michigan State with 31 points, also received a flagrant foul for shoving Lendeborg from behind to prevent a breakaway dunk late in the first half.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Richardson appeared to grill Coleman and nudged him before shoving him into a wall, nudging him more later on.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fresh spinach requires large quantities and multiple steps—blanching, shocking, and squeezing—just to yield a usable amount.—
Amber Love Bond,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The bus ended up completely packed, everyone squeezing together in their parkas like a bunch of marshmallows.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Diané's Jay-Den arrived in Starfleet Academy as an aspiring medical officer, which inherently feels at odds with the brutalism and warrior code of Klingon culture.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
-
That isn’t ideal for the aspiring leader of Bangladesh, the South Asian nation of 175 million.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Weather Service warns that poor visibility and slick roads could make driving a bad idea.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Sombr’s rendition strips the track back emotionally while reshaping it sonically, layering distorted vocals and a driving indie-rock pulse over the song’s core melody.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Stand back up, keeping your core tight and pressing through your heels.—
RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan,
Health,
31 Jan. 2026
-
His side recovered quickly from the departures of last season’s two leading goalscorers, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, and now sit comfortably eighth on 33 points, with no pressing need for winter reinforcements.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Clearly looking to shock, Raimi depicts bodily injury in oozing detail, whether that means thrusting the camera into Bradley’s festering leg wound or watching one of the pair plunge their thumb into the eye socket of the other.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
-
After shutting down internet and mobile international communications on January 8, thrusting the country into digital darkness, the government carried out a massacre unprecedented even in the regime’s own violent history.—
Omid Memarian,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pushing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pushing. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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