Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense shoves, present participle shoving, past tense, past participle shoved
1. verb
If you shove someone or something, you push them with a quick, violent movement.
He shoved her out of the way. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
He was then shoved face down on the pavement. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
He's the one who shoved me. [VERB noun]
She shoved as hard as she could. [VERB]
Synonyms: push, shoulder, thrust, elbow More Synonyms of shove
Shove is also a noun.
She gave Gracie a shove towards the house.
2. verb
If you shove something somewhere, you push it there quickly and carelessly.
We shoved a copy of the newsletter beneath their door. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
He shoved a cloth in my hand. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: stick, push, thrust, ram More Synonyms of shove
3.
See if push comes to shove
More Synonyms of shove
shove in British English
(ʃʌv)
verb
1.
to give a thrust or push to (a person or thing)
2. (transitive)
to give a violent push to; jostle
3. (intransitive)
to push one's way roughly
4. (transitive) informal
to put (something) somewhere, esp hurriedly or carelessly
shove it in the bin
noun
5.
the act or an instance of shoving
Derived forms
shover (ˈshover)
noun
Word origin
Old English scūfan; related to Old Norse skūfa to push, Gothic afskiuban to push away, Old High German skioban to shove
shove in American English
(ʃʌv)
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: shoved or ˈshoving
1.
to push or thrust, as along a surface
2.
to push roughly or hastily
noun
3.
the act or an instance of shoving; a push or thrust
Idioms:
shove off
Derived forms
shover (ˈshover)
noun
Word origin
ME shoven < OE scufan, akin to ON skufa, Ger schieben < IE base *skeubh-, to throw, shove > scoff1
More idioms containing
shove
when push comes to shove
Examples of 'shove' in a sentence
shove
When we got to the ground he just shoved me into the dressing room and left me.
The Sun (2015)
You had to shove them to one side while you were swimming.
Max Arthur Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 19011910 in the words of the Men & Women Who WereThere (2006)
When push comes to shove you have to beat your opposite number.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They had to just pull and shove until she worked free.
The Sun (2013)
They were all shoving one another in the pool.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There was much pushing and shoving and the audience loved it.
The Sun (2007)
The opposition hooker just has to shove.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Then we entirely make up a twelfth one and shove it in there somewhere.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
You shove open the door with your shoulder and the chunky metal sheet opens with a faint click.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
To get first gear you had to go into second gear first and then shove it forwards hard.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Something so appalling had already happened to her and then the person she turned to for help shoved her away.
Claudia Hammond EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER: A Journey Through the Science of Feelings (2005)
He did neither, but sat down hard when she shoved at his shoulders.
Christina Dodd SOMEDAY MY PRINCE (1999)
When push comes to shove, his mindset is the same.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
A security team attempted to stop them from entering and a shoving match ensued.
Christianity Today (2000)
Got into shoving match with Weimann.
The Sun (2013)
I was too slow to get going and this driver jumped out of his car and shoved me off my bike.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
shove
British English: shove VERB
If you shove someone or something, you push them with a quick, violent movement.
He shoved her out of the way.
He shoved through the crowd.
American English: shove
Brazilian Portuguese: empurrar
Chinese: 猛推
European Spanish: empujar
French: pousser
German: schieben
Italian: spingere
Japanese: 乱暴に押す
Korean: 떠밀다
European Portuguese: empurrar
Latin American Spanish: empujar
All related terms of 'shove'
shove off
to move from the shore in a boat
duck-shove
to evade responsibility (for)
shove-halfpenny
a game in which players try to propel old halfpennies or polished discs with the hand into lined sections of a wooden or slate board
push comes to shove
matters become serious or reach a critical point where some action or decision is required
if push comes to shove
If you talk about what you think will happen if push comes to shove , you are talking about what you think will happen if a situation becomes very bad or difficult .
when push comes to shove
when a situation reaches a critical point and you must make a decision on how to progress
Chinese translation of 'shove'
shove
(ʃʌv)
vt
撞 (zhuàng)
n(c)
to give sb/sth a shove猛推某人/某物 (měng tuī mǒurén/mǒuwù)