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
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
After being discovered, the woman shoves Lo's head into the wall, knocking her unconscious, and locks her away in a storage room deep within the yacht.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Hothead follows, and, when the lawyer staggers out to take a leak, Hothead shoves a gardening fork through his neck.
—Jo Livingstone, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Upon hearing those words, the protestor turns around quickly and his chest makes contact with Burchett, who then shoves him with both hands.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
But soon the film reaches its first binge-eating scene, in which Maddie violently shoves fistfuls of food into her mouth in a dark kitchen.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 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
Nguyen Nik Bonitto shoves the Jets' left tackle back into Justin Fields and Zach Allen crunches him from the interior on that third-down floater.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025
After being discovered, the woman shoves Lo's head into the wall, knocking her unconscious, and locks her away in a storage room deep within the yacht.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Hothead follows, and, when the lawyer staggers out to take a leak, Hothead shoves a gardening fork through his neck.
—Jo Livingstone, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Upon hearing those words, the protestor turns around quickly and his chest makes contact with Burchett, who then shoves him with both hands.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
But soon the film reaches its first binge-eating scene, in which Maddie violently shoves fistfuls of food into her mouth in a dark kitchen.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 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
-
This pushes Tony and Ziva to risk everything in order to save her and finally put an end to the conspiracy.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The video also pushes for universal healthcare.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With Arch Bug on their tails, and not knowing whether their son has hired their time-traveling gene, Henry grabs Julia at the last second and presses all of their hands to the stones at the same time.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
-
But Henry grabs Julia at the last moment and presses all of their hands to the stones at once.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After Fuller drives home to her palatial estate, two strangers in masks emerge from the bushes.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Mentorship drives both confidence and capability, even becoming a powerful tool to foster accessibility and belonging.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The compact vacuum even blows up air mattresses and compresses vacuum storage bags.—
Sian Babish,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
And the extreme pressure and friction of the move compresses the air molecules in front of Starship, creating a glowing plasma that is the signature of the stretch of flight known as reentry.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoves. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share