Push
Push verb - To apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one.
Usage example: I had to push my damaged bike all the way home
Shove is a synonym for push in thrust topic. In some cases you can use "Shove" instead the word "Push" as a verb or a noun, when it comes to topics like activity, action, move, impact. popular alternative
Shove
Shove verb - To apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one.
Usage example: I had to keep shoving my heavy suitcase as I slowly made my way to the head of the line
Push is a synonym for shove in activity topic. You can use "Push" instead the word "Shove" as a verb or a noun, if it concerns topics such as action, move, impact, stick. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| good | good push | good shove |
| physical | physical push | physical shove |
| gentle | gentle push | gentle shove |
| single | single push | single shove |
| Other adjectives: simple, strong, powerful, big, great, decisive. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
-
In fiction, however, an explosion just gives you a bit of a push or shove and may cause a bit of singeing.
Source: Non-Fatal Explosions - Humanity is frequently accused of this by their detractors (especially turians), due to having entered galactic politics thirty years ago and thrown aside centuries of tradition to try and push and shove their way to the head of the table.
Source: Entitled Bastard -
Action Girl: Each and every one of the female NPCs can defend themselves when push comes to shove.
Source: Characters / Terraria
Cite this Source
Shove and Push. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/push/shove
Push & Shove. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/push/shove>.
Shove or Push. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/push/shove.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "push" and "shove" have occurred on timeline