He pushed his half-eaten salad aside and left.pushedpushed /pʊʃt/ adjective [not before noun] British English informal 
I’m a bit pushed for time today.2too busy: I’d love to help, but I’m a bit pushed at the moment.3be (hard) pushed to do something to have a lot of difficulty doing something: I was hard pushed to keep my mind on my work.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- If pushed they would settle for land of the same quality nearby, but they know the Government doesn't have it.
- When pushed, you too can be tough.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES He pushed his half-eaten salad aside and left.
He pushed his half-eaten salad aside and left.PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► be driven/pushed from pillar to post
- Aunt Edie was in such a rage about it that she was hard put to contain herself.
- Governments will then be hard put to get it on to their national statute books by mid-1993.
- I can assure you that any busybody would be hard put to it to prove maltreatment!
- Leinster will be hard pushed to keep the score within the respectable margins of defeat set by their predecessors.
- Once an apology is given, the defendant will be hard put to contest liability later.
- The slave's side ... and even Miss Phoebe would be hard put to understand.
- With his height and features, he was hard put to pass as a native.
- You will be hard pressed to choose a single main course because so many are mouth-watering.
WORD FAMILYnounpushpusherpushinessadjectivepushedpushyverbpush
1be pushed for time/money etc to not have much time, money etc SYN pressed: I’m a bit pushed for time today.2too busy: I’d love to help, but I’m a bit pushed at the moment.3be (hard) pushed to do something to have a lot of difficulty doing something: I was hard pushed to keep my mind on my work.