1
as in pushes
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
Relevance
2
as in presses
to push steadily against with some force
quit shoving your hand in my face
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of shoves
Alice Burton, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026
Season 2 springboards on Fisk’s strongarm rule and his mandate to clean up the streets of rebels via his brutish Anti-Vigilante Task Force, which rounds up people – echoing recent INS maneuvers – and shoves them into deplorable conditions and cages.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
But for a mine, all that needs to happen is a vessel pulls up, shoves one overboard, and moves on.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Levi shoves someone just out of the frame, demands to know who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly away from the crowd.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The agent shoves the observer again, and then turns his attention to Pretti, pushing him out of the way before shoving the observer to the ground.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
In one video Pretti appears to intervene after an agent shoves a person.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
At 12 seconds in the second video, the agent shoves the woman wearing the cream jacket to the ground.
—Kif Leswing,terri Cullen, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
Verb
Frances shoves June at Boy Carteret.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026
Season 2 springboards on Fisk’s strongarm rule and his mandate to clean up the streets of rebels via his brutish Anti-Vigilante Task Force, which rounds up people – echoing recent INS maneuvers – and shoves them into deplorable conditions and cages.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
But for a mine, all that needs to happen is a vessel pulls up, shoves one overboard, and moves on.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Levi shoves someone just out of the frame, demands to know who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly away from the crowd.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
The agent shoves the observer again, and then turns his attention to Pretti, pushing him out of the way before shoving the observer to the ground.
—Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
In one video Pretti appears to intervene after an agent shoves a person.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 Jan. 2026
The same officer shoves Pretti in his chest, leading Pretti and the other protester to stumble backward.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
At 12 seconds in the second video, the agent shoves the woman wearing the cream jacket to the ground.
—Kif Leswing,terri Cullen, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoves
Verb
-
That leaves a sicker, older, more expensive pool of enrollees, which pushes up premiums for everyone.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Our standards, our accountability and the way the group pushes each other every day, that is what has sustained our performance independent of who the head coach is.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mahajan presses firmly into the inner lives and cerebral crevices of terror victims, witnesses and perpetrators.—
Sibani Ram,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Chief Justice Nels Peterson presses a Clayton prosecutor about citing cases that don’t exist.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For Robert Flamerich, who drives from Miami Beach to Doral daily, conserving gas means sacrificing comfort.—
Austin Carter,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The heat causes the second liquid to turn to steam, and the steam drives a generator turbine, producing electricity.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The back line compresses space, the midfield disrupts passing lanes and Ferree has commanded his box with composure beyond his years.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Most have a double-zipper system, with one zipper to close the cube and a second zipper that compresses it to a fraction of its full size.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoves. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
