1
as in drives
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
Relevance
2
as in presses
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoves
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Klára tries to keep him away but Berend, a sweaty, sour beast of a man who wears a permanent scowl, insistently shoves his way into the household.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Sue threatens to call the police and an emotional Santana then shoves her backward into a bookshelf in the corner of her office before appearing slightly surprised at her own behavior and leaving.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Klára tries to keep him away but Berend, a sweaty, sour beast of a man who wears a permanent scowl, insistently shoves his way into the household.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoves
Verb
-
The law is flexible in terms of how long the order would last and pushes for those under an order to be connected with resources to help them.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Ned pushes a big red button at the end of the press to see what happens, and nothing does — but then his phone starts blowing up with staffers volunteering to pitch in on his new local reporting initiative.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Sawyer presses a button to simulate an earthquake, sending a rumble through the training room via a 30-inch subwoofer under the stairs as lights begin flashing.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The woman touches her fingers to her lips and then presses them to the photo.—
Harrison Hill,
AFAR Media,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The Marswalker opens its fold-out front doors, and the S2 drives up into a central compartment before the doors close again to secure the S2 in place.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Attendees acknowledged early how much of what drives housing costs lies outside city and state control, such as interest rates or labor and material supply.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This compresses the heart and keeps blood flowing until the heart restarts or professional help arrives.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Circana’s Liquid Mix compresses that cycle to minutes, vastly improving how brands can respond to market signals.—
Kiri Masters,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoves. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share