1
as in pushing
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 pressing
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 shoving
In Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood on the Saturday before Halloween, officers arrested a man and triggered a chain of events that ended with them shoving a father in a yellow duck costume to the ground and breaking the ribs of a 67-year-old resident.
—
Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Coaches, referees and security tried to break up the pushing and shoving from both sides.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Verstappen did find Ocon, in the FIA weighbridge garage (the drivers’ weighing area) and physically confronted the Frenchman, shoving him three or four times.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Most of the time, a child who is shoving at the playground or refusing to take turns with the blocks at daycare is just testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 Feb. 2026
Video shows the agent in the tan beanie repeatedly shoving observers.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Then, during the handshake line, an altercation appeared to start between one West Charlotte player and one North Mecklenburg player that led to some pushing and shoving among players from both teams that spilled over to the other side of the court.
—Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
Agents responded by shoving protesters who got too close, firing pepper balls and finally throwing tear gas grenades and driving away.
—Tim Sullivan, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
People were just like shoving each other and trying to get on the train.
—Brandon Truitt, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
Coaches, referees and security tried to break up the pushing and shoving from both sides.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Verstappen did find Ocon, in the FIA weighbridge garage (the drivers’ weighing area) and physically confronted the Frenchman, shoving him three or four times.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Most of the time, a child who is shoving at the playground or refusing to take turns with the blocks at daycare is just testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 5 Feb. 2026
Video shows the agent in the tan beanie repeatedly shoving observers.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Then, during the handshake line, an altercation appeared to start between one West Charlotte player and one North Mecklenburg player that led to some pushing and shoving among players from both teams that spilled over to the other side of the court.
—Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
Agents responded by shoving protesters who got too close, firing pepper balls and finally throwing tear gas grenades and driving away.
—Tim Sullivan, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
People were just like shoving each other and trying to get on the train.
—Brandon Truitt, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoving
Verb
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During ultra-fast impacts, the metal’s atoms oscillate so vigorously that these physically obstruct the path of deformation, pushing back against the incoming force.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
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Just as the Dow Jones Industrial Average neared the 50,000 milestone in early January, a producer called to interview me about what was pushing stocks higher.—
Jill Schlesinger,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Sharks, at the moment, do not have a pressing need to create an opening on the 23-man roster.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
22 Feb. 2026
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However, system discipline and SDFC’s pressing structure were the true backbone last year.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The congresswoman said Rafael had been detained by ICE agents after a routine inspection while driving a commercial cargo truck in Louisiana.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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Tutash Express and Sam Express in the Chicago area were also disqualified, and the Aydana driving school that the trucker involved in the crash attended lost its certification.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Goldman Sachs here plots the relative valuation of asset-light over asset-heavy companies, compressing toward zero.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
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Traveling at Mach 5 or faster, these systems can cross vast distances in minutes, drastically compressing response times and challenging existing missile defense architectures.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko and troupe member Marcquet Hill sashayed their way onto Tuesday's episode of the long-running CBS soap as a couple of hip-thrusting bachelorette party dancers.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Feb. 2026
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But its panting, thrusting allure dimmed over time.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoving. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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