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
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.
Verb
He was suspended earlier this season for three games for shoving a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist who had referenced Embiid’s son in a column criticizing Embiid for not playing to start the year. Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024 There’s a lot of yelling and shoving and such, all on Tommy’s part. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Dec. 2024
Noun
Tiger Woods gave his son bear hug and a playful shove as the PNC Championship’s showcase pairing briefly surged into the lead. Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024 The devastating tsunami that struck the country on March 11, 2011, killed more than 15,000 people and was triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that gave the sea floor a massive shove toward Honshu, Japan’s largest island. Hannah Peart, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shove 

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 30 Dec. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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