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
The next day she is shipped off to her first job, also within the confines of this impossibly vast building, which involves shoving film canisters down a pneumatic tube.
—
Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Since last week, a video has been circulating online of a worker at a McDonald's in Southbridge shoving a handful of fries in her mouth before placing them into one of the fast food chain's red fry containers, according to NBC Boston and Boston 25 News.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Burke can be seen walking quickly behind Falzone, then shoving him down the steps, according to police.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 9 May 2026
The video allegedly shows Testerman setting up a phone to record before shoving Oliver to the floor and beating her.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
The Israeli military also opened an investigation into a soldier photographed shoving a cigarette into the mouth of the statue of the Virgin Mary, which was apparently photographed several weeks ago.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Turn the Yamazaki Tower shelves toward the wall for a clean look without the hassle of shoving things into drawers or behind cabinet doors.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
But McDaniel and Naz Reid, who aggressively fronted Wembanyama, pulling and shoving and pushing to do so.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 5 May 2026
Mira and her friends began shoving Sloane toward Leo, with no success.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Since last week, a video has been circulating online of a worker at a McDonald's in Southbridge shoving a handful of fries in her mouth before placing them into one of the fast food chain's red fry containers, according to NBC Boston and Boston 25 News.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Burke can be seen walking quickly behind Falzone, then shoving him down the steps, according to police.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 9 May 2026
The video allegedly shows Testerman setting up a phone to record before shoving Oliver to the floor and beating her.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
The Israeli military also opened an investigation into a soldier photographed shoving a cigarette into the mouth of the statue of the Virgin Mary, which was apparently photographed several weeks ago.
—Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Turn the Yamazaki Tower shelves toward the wall for a clean look without the hassle of shoving things into drawers or behind cabinet doors.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
But McDaniel and Naz Reid, who aggressively fronted Wembanyama, pulling and shoving and pushing to do so.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 5 May 2026
Mira and her friends began shoving Sloane toward Leo, with no success.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoving
Verb
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Rough seas and hazardous underwater conditions repeatedly delayed search efforts as crews mapped and marked the cave entrance before pushing deeper inside.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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That’s why Stuart expects the energy crisis will get worse this spring and summer, pushing gas to $5 a gallon as soon as this month.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Cellphone video showed officers handcuffing and pressing him against an unmarked sedan, with his forehead bloodied.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
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Porter, known for asking tough questions during congressional hearings with the use of a whiteboard, at one point held up her notepad while pressing Becerra on his revenue source for his housing plan.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The critical shipping passage has been a key point of the war, driving up gas prices.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Schauffele ranks in the tournament’s top five in both putting and driving, and has hit 28 of 42 fairways this week.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Some of our favorite compression packing cubes on the market, these Bagsmart cubes free up to 60 percent extra packing space in your luggage by compressing the excess air out of your clothes.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2026
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Imagine taking a huge cloud of gas, and compressing much of that material down into just a few clumps that were much smaller in physical size.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The painting, surrounded by scaffolding while the church undergoes repairs, is full of thrusting diagonals and shadowy figures, a meditation on both extreme suffering and pointed indifference to it.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
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No sooner are Lucila and her brother Diego (Sergio Bautista) tearfully abandoned by their mother as children than the Spanish setting takes the wheel, thrusting us quickly and headfirst into Lucila’s young adult life nearly a decade later, without even half a second’s worth of reflection.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoving. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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