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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Johnson gave Elliss a hard shove and players from both sides surrounded them as more pushing and shoving ensued.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 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
No shove, no commotion, no clue.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Johnson gave Elliss a hard shove and players from both sides surrounded them as more pushing and shoving ensued.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shove
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shove
Verb
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Persun says her community didn't push back against her shift into new content spaces, and in turn, her audience expanded.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Patrick Henry continued to push numbers forward and test the Islanders’ back line in the second half.—
Clark Fahrenthold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dejected and weary, clutching a bag of bread, Pedro walked with a fist pressed to his mouth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Jan. 2026
-
In a roughly two-hour hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building, Democrats also pressed him on budget cuts to science agencies and the administration’s push to limit state-level AI rules.—
Jenna Ahart,
Scientific American,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That calculus reflects a broader shift in tennis sponsorships, as the balance of power moves toward smaller brands willing to invest in product, personalization, and year-round storytelling — and away from legacy deals driven primarily by logo visibility.—
Jessica Schiffer,
Vogue,
14 Jan. 2026
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Emilio’s father then drove around the area to find his son, but was unsuccessful, per the database.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The ability of the sponge to compress means that over time the rug will weigh down the edges and prevent the rug from looking like it’s raised up onto a surface.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
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Las Vegas has compressed a short stretch of the Strip into a luxury gauntlet that’ll wreck your step count and your credit limit in the same afternoon.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
He's rubbed elbows with corporate executives who are interested in Pennsylvania as a data center destination and thrust Pennsylvania into competition for billions of dollars being spent on manufacturing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Eventually, he was thrust into a starting safety role during the 2021 playoffs due to injury.—
Mike Kaye
January 8,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shove.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shove. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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