1
as in pushes
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 presses
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 shoves
Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
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
In one video Pretti appears to intervene after an agent shoves a person.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
At 12 seconds in the second video, the agent shoves the woman wearing the cream jacket to the ground.
—Kif Leswing,terri Cullen, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
After an agent shoves a person, Pretti stands between the person and agents.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
—CBS News, 24 Jan. 2026
Around the summer solstice the alligator mother shoves vegetation from her wetland habitat into a pile to create a nest.
—Elizabeth Preston, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
Verb
Levi shoves someone just out of the frame, demands to know who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly away from the crowd.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
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
In one video Pretti appears to intervene after an agent shoves a person.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
At 12 seconds in the second video, the agent shoves the woman wearing the cream jacket to the ground.
—Kif Leswing,terri Cullen, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
After an agent shoves a person, Pretti stands between the person and agents.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
—CBS News, 24 Jan. 2026
Around the summer solstice the alligator mother shoves vegetation from her wetland habitat into a pile to create a nest.
—Elizabeth Preston, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoves
Verb
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Nayara Tented Camp pushes this forward by creating a sanctuary for sloths out of the reforestation of hundreds of native trees, to grow alongside habitats for native frogs, birds, and armadillos.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
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London’s mayor pushes to pedestrianize city London’s mayor pushed ahead with plans to pedestrianize the city’s most famous shopping street, part of a global move toward banning cars from parts of big cities.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Chatten-Brown letter presses council members to require the developer to fully mitigate project impacts so that taxpayers are not later required to shoulder the cost of infrastructure.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
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As Homer and Plumb’s investigation presses ahead, those feelings and their motivating factors gain steady, arresting clarity.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The solid dramatic framework that Gyllenhaal establishes drives events onward with relentless force, and her film is devilishly clever in its fusion of gothic horror and film-noir tropes.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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Most of the time, the engine drives a generator while the battery absorbs and delivers power.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In operation, the actuator compresses and holds the Ni-Ti tubes, causing the material to heat up.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Feb. 2026
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Their terahertz microscope compresses long terahertz waves into a microscopic spot.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoves. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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