push
push
Pronunciation
/pʊʃ/.
/p/: voiceless bilabial plosive
/ʊ/: near-close near-back rounded vowel
/ʃ/: voiceless postalveolar fricative
Word Form Variations
As a Verb:
Base form: push (e.g., "I push the door.")
Third-person singular present tense: pushes (e.g., "He pushes the cart.")
Past tense: pushed (e.g., "She pushed the button.")
Past participle: pushed (e.g., "The car has been pushed.")
Present participle/Gerund: pushing (e.g., "They are pushing the limits," or "Pushing a heavy box is hard work.")
As a Noun:
Singular: push (e.g., "He gave the door a gentle push.")
Plural: pushes (e.g., "There were several pushes during the protest.")
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Push (Verb)
1. To apply force to something or someone in order to move it away or forward.
Definition: To exert a physical force, often with one's hands, feet, or a tool, to cause an object or person to shift position in a direction away from the force's origin.
Synonyms: shove, propel, thrust, impel, budge, drive, press, nudge, jostle
Antonyms: pull, draw, drag, haul, tug, yank, retrieve
2. To urge or persuade someone to do something, often with insistence or pressure.
Definition: To strongly encourage, motivate, or compel an individual towards a particular action, decision, or state, sometimes against their initial inclination.
Synonyms: encourage, prod, spur, goad, incite, compel, force, pressure, prompt, exhort, badger
Antonyms: dissuade, deter, discourage, hinder, restrain, inhibit, prevent, calm
3. To promote or advertise something vigorously.
Definition: To actively market, publicize, or advocate for a product, idea, or cause with the aim of increasing its acceptance, sales, or prevalence.
Synonyms: promote, publicize, advertise, market, boost, plug (informal), hype (informal), tout
Antonyms: suppress, conceal, downplay, discredit, disparage
4. To extend or progress with effort or determination.
Definition: To advance steadily or force one's way forward, often against resistance or obstacles, indicating persistent effort to reach a goal or overcome a challenge.
Synonyms: advance, progress, forge, press on, move ahead, persist, persevere, strive
Antonyms: retreat, withdraw, halt, cease, falter, give up, surrender
Push (Noun)
1. An act of applying force to move something away or forward.
Definition: A single, distinct instance of exerting physical pressure to cause displacement of an object or person.
Synonyms: shove, thrust, impulse, nudge, prod, jolt, bump, press
Antonyms: pull, tug, yank, draw
2. A determined effort or strong initiative to achieve a goal.
Definition: A concerted and often intense period of activity, a campaign, or a focused drive undertaken to accomplish a specific objective or make significant progress.
Synonyms: effort, drive, campaign, initiative, surge, offensive, thrust, advance, endeavor
Antonyms: stagnation, retreat, surrender, inaction, setback, inertia
3. Informal: Ambitious drive or energy.
Definition: A personal quality characterized by strong motivation, ambition, and a forceful, proactive approach to getting things done.
Synonyms: drive, ambition, energy, zeal, gumption (informal), get-up-and-go (informal), spirit, verve
Antonyms: apathy, lethargy, indifference, passivity, listlessness, inertia
Examples of Use
Books:
"With a final, desperate push, he dislodged the boulder, sending it tumbling down the ravine." (From a fantasy novel)
"The novel explores the constant push and pull between tradition and modernity in a rapidly changing society." (From a literary analysis)
Newspapers:
"The government announced a new push to increase vaccination rates across the country." ( The Daily Nation)
"Police are urging the public to push for stricter regulations on illegal fireworks." (The Standard)
Online Publications:
"Tech companies continue to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence with new innovations daily." (Wired.com)
"Climate activists are organizing a global push for renewable energy solutions." (TheGuardian.com)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In the movie Interstellar, Cooper says, "We've got to push past our limits if we're going to save humanity." (Paramount Pictures, 2014)
Music: The song lyrics, "Just one more push, we're almost there," can be heard in a popular motivational anthem. (Spotify, March 2025)
Video Games: A common in-game objective is to "push the payload to the objective," requiring players to escort a moving object. (Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment, 2016)
Television Series: In a crime drama, a detective might say, "We need to push harder on this suspect; I know he's hiding something." (Netflix, May 2025)
General Public Discourse:
"I need to give the stroller a good push to get it up this hill." (Heard in a park)
"Let's push for an earlier start time for the meeting tomorrow." (From a workplace conversation)
"The community is making a big push to clean up the local river." (Discussed at a neighborhood meeting)
"Don't push your luck, or you might regret it." (A common idiom used in everyday conversation)
10 Quotes Using Push
"Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all." (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
"There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up." (Booker T. Washington)
"Sometimes - history needs a push." (Vladimir Lenin)
"One finds limits by pushing them." (Herbert Simon)
"My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength." (Michael Jordan)
"You cannot push any one up a ladder unless he be willing to climb a little himself." (Andrew Carnegie)
"I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that's how you grow. When there's that moment of 'Wow, I'm not really sure I can do this,' and you push through those moments, that's when you have a breakthrough." (Marissa May1er)
"Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives." (Viktor E. Frankl)
"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world." (2Neil Gaiman)
"Be a bobbed cork: When you are pushed down, bob up." (Vin Scully)
Etymology
The word "push" has a clear and interesting journey through languages!
It comes to us from Middle English (around 1150-1500). In that time, people used words like "pushen" or "poshen."
These Middle English words were borrowed from Middle French, specifically the word "pousser."
Going back even further, "pousser" in French came from the Old French word "poulser."
And the ultimate ancestor is the Latin word "pulsare," which meant "to beat" or "to strike." This "pulsare" was a frequentative form of "pellere," meaning "to push" or "to drive." Think of a "pulse" – it's a rhythmic push or beat, which is why "pulse" shares the same root!
So, the very first known meaning of "push" (or its ancestors) was about applying a force to beat or strike, which then evolved into the idea of driving or moving something by force.
It's pretty neat how the idea of a "beat" or "strike" in Latin transformed into our modern "push" for moving things and even urging people!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Push
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "push":
Push comes to shove: When a situation becomes critical and action must be taken.
Push the envelope: To go beyond the usual or traditional limits.
Push one's luck: To take a risk that might result in failure or harm.
Push the boat out: To spend a lot of money on a celebration or treat.
Push the panic button: To react with alarm or hysteria to a situation.
Push someone's buttons: To annoy or provoke someone intentionally.
Push for something: To strongly advocate or campaign for a particular outcome.
Push ahead/on: To continue to make progress despite difficulties.
Give someone the push: To dismiss someone from a job.
A big push: A concerted and significant effort to achieve something.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of push from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
