1
as in pushing
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
the cat thrust her paw under the couch, trying to reach her toy mouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in rising
to move or extend upward
the butte thrusts up 300 feet from the floor of the valley
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of thrusting
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
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
Zohran Mamdani’s anti-business, anti-wealth crusade is thrusting the city into a death spiral — fewer businesses and residents mean higher taxes, since local leaders won’t cut spending, driving even more to leave.
—Liz Peek, Washington Post, 4 May 2026
The Orlando teammates shared a quick high-five before thrusting the air awfully close to one another.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Each actor elevates and pushes the other toward greatness, parrying and thrusting in excruciating exchanges and switching from vulnerability to anger in a matter of seconds.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Elizabeth’s father became King George VI, thrusting the young princess into the spotlight as heir to throne.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
After fighting to find their way back to one another, Henry and Julia were at the standing stones of Craig Na Dun, hoping to return to their own time, and Brian and Ellen’s romantic escape was interrupted as the 1715 Jacobite Rising began, thrusting the clans into war.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
The long-running series is enjoying its latest act on Netflix after previously airing on Fox and USA, tantalizing viewers by thrusting four couples due for a reckoning into an exotic locale overflowing with sultry singles whose only goal is to flirt.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
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
Zohran Mamdani’s anti-business, anti-wealth crusade is thrusting the city into a death spiral — fewer businesses and residents mean higher taxes, since local leaders won’t cut spending, driving even more to leave.
—Liz Peek, Washington Post, 4 May 2026
The Orlando teammates shared a quick high-five before thrusting the air awfully close to one another.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Each actor elevates and pushes the other toward greatness, parrying and thrusting in excruciating exchanges and switching from vulnerability to anger in a matter of seconds.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Elizabeth’s father became King George VI, thrusting the young princess into the spotlight as heir to throne.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
After fighting to find their way back to one another, Henry and Julia were at the standing stones of Craig Na Dun, hoping to return to their own time, and Brian and Ellen’s romantic escape was interrupted as the 1715 Jacobite Rising began, thrusting the clans into war.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
The long-running series is enjoying its latest act on Netflix after previously airing on Fox and USA, tantalizing viewers by thrusting four couples due for a reckoning into an exotic locale overflowing with sultry singles whose only goal is to flirt.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrusting
Verb
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Though putting olive oil in coffee isn’t technically a traditional Italian custom, Starbucks has a history of pushing limits to discover new, unexpected ways to innovate around coffee.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
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The United States has also been pushing for Iran to end uranium enrichment, which the regime in Tehran has rejected.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
25 May 2026
Verb
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The efforts highlight Son’s growing ambitions to secure data center bases in major locations across the globe as AI companies race to acquire sufficient computing power and meet rising demand for their services.—
Benoit Berthelot,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
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On the other hand, when prices are high and rising, voters may not particularly care about things like Talarico's meat consumption, says Cliff Walker, who works at a Texas progressive strategy firm.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Video shows immigration authorities shoving a woman through a line of masked and armed guards and threatening to deploy pepper spray as protesters shouted at the agents.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
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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,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Nneka Ogwumike posted 20 points and 11 rebounds, passing franchise icon Lisa Leslie for most field goals in Sparks history and climbing to sixth on the WNBA’s all-time rebounding list.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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The sculpture, built as part of Kansas City’s annual Parade of Hearts, was made to be nearly indestructible — safe from children dangling from the bee’s antennas or climbing on the structure.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Verb
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That’s when Angotti got going, driving a ball over the left-center-field fence.—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
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These reforms stripped the dominant Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) of its historical control of the regional government, driving it into active opposition.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
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In fact, the Mango Collective initiative was created precisely for this purpose, as a platform to celebrate the creativity and innovation of ascending and independent designers, connecting their singular visions with Mango’s design expertise and international reach.—
Sharon Edelson,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
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Before resurfacing, the divers must stay in shallow water to decompress after ascending from the cave’s depths.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Beach villas are A-frame with soaring ceilings and sculptural pendant lights that look like the shells that line the beach in front.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
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Mainstream Democratic coalitions are splintering as soaring housing costs have led to a more politically vocal class of renters and a large chunk of the electorate views Bass unfavorably due to her handling of the Palisades fire.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Japan has recently taken steps to expand its defense posture, including lifting its ban on lethal arms exports and mulling changes to Article 9 of its constitution, which renounces war and the maintenance of armed forces.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
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Aside from these new big punchers, the new space age is seeing a plethora of new companies seeking to cut themselves a slice of the market for lifting small payloads, often in multi-satellite deployments, into low Earth orbit.—
David Szondy
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thrusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrusting. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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