shove

1 of 2

verb

shoved; shoving

transitive verb

1
: to push along
2
: to push or put in a rough, careless, or hasty manner : thrust
3
: to force by other than physical means : compel
shove a bill through the legislature

intransitive verb

1
: to move by forcing a way
bargain hunters shoving up to the counter
2
a
: to move something by exerting force
b
: leave
usually used with off
shoved off for home
shover noun

shove

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of shoving : a forcible push

Examples of shove in a Sentence

Verb He shoved the door until it finally opened. A large man shoved me out of the way. She shoved her plate aside. He shoved me into the pool. A group of security guards shoved through the crowd. The children were pushing and shoving to see the clowns. Noun He gave the door a shove, and it opened.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Last week, a Fox host was talking with Senator Mike Braun (R., Ind.) and wondering why Mitch McConnell couldn’t be shoved from the leadership position before November. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 7 Mar. 2024 Don’t just shove an accent chair in a corner and forget about it. L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Mar. 2024 The woman’s husband shoved the man outside of the restaurant while other employees shouted at him to leave, according to the affidavit. Makiya Seminera, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 The video shows one juvenile shoving another as multiple people walk toward them at the bus stop, including adults. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 Passive-voice, the passive termination, the mortal mutual agreement shoved all the way to the end of the sentence. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 The charging documents said that Eckerman was seen on surveillance cameras outside the Crypt of the Capitol building, pushing his way through the crowd, then shoving an officer. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 Pelicans forward Naji Marshall went to defend his teammate after Williamson fell to the ground, leading to pushing and shoving from Butler. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 25 Feb. 2024 Farris approached an officer from behind and shoved him to the ground, according to the release. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
Or that he would be forced to fight for them in the face of violent threats and a hard shove outside the Capitol. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 Gobert had four blocks for the Wolves and took a two-handed shove to the neck from Terrance Mann after the Clippers guard reacted to a high screen in the third quarter. Dave Campbell, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 Following the agent’s shove, Young is seen backing away from the confrontation with his hands up while his associates and a handful of other patrons surround the agents. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2024 Soon after, Peyton Watson took a shove from Ausar Thompson while running down the floor and fell to the floor. Pat Graham, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2024 But Reid is looking back at Kelce’s Super Bowl sideline shove as a product of the drive that led them to victory. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 In a game where each dribble, shot and action was met with a wall of arms used for shoves, grabs and slaps, Knapp and the Wolves showed championship-level toughness in the 46-39 victory over host Carondelet to claim sole possession of first place in the East Bay Athletic League. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024 The up and down drafts of these currents push against the wings of planes, and if the shoves are strong and sudden, drinks start sloshing. Katherine Wright, Scientific American, 1 July 2023 Advertisement James then gave the man a hard shove to the chest. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shove.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English scūfan to thrust away; akin to Old High German scioban to push and probably to Lithuanian skubti to hurry

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shove was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shove

Cite this Entry

“Shove.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shove. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shove

1 of 2 verb
shoved; shoving
1
: to push with steady force
2
: to push along or away carelessly or rudely
shoved her out of the way
3
: depart sense 1
usually used with off
time to shove off for home
shover noun

shove

2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of shoving

More from Merriam-Webster on shove

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