pushback

noun

push·​back ˈpu̇sh-ˌbak How to pronounce pushback (audio)
1
: the action of forcing an object backward
2
: resistance or opposition in response to a policy or regulation especially by those affected

Examples of pushback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
More than 80,000 pushbacks were recorded in 2025, the report said, mostly in Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Latvia. ABC News, 29 Mar. 2026 While in use for thousands of years by Indigenous Mesoamerican communities, modern study of therapeutic psilocybin use began in the 1950s but didn’t last long before being derailed by political and cultural pushback starting around the 1960s. Natalia V. Osipova, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026 Springsteen lamented Good and Pretti’s deaths but said the state’s pushback against ICE has given the rest of the country hope. Mark Vancleave, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026 And there was definitely a little pushback. Annie Heilbrunn, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pushback

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pushback was in 1942

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Cite this Entry

“Pushback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pushback. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.

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