shove

¹

[ shuhv ]

verb (used with object)

, shoved, shov·ing.

1. to move along by force from behind; push:

   Could you help me shove this table back to where it was?

2. to push roughly or rudely; jostle:

   Hey, quit shoving us—you can wait your turn like everyone else.

3. Slang: Often Vulgar. to go to hell with:

   Voters are telling Congress to shove its new tax plan.

verb (used without object)

, shoved, shov·ing.

1. to push:

   OK, all hands on the back of this crate, and on the count of three, shove!

2. Baseball. to pitch with exceptional focus and effectiveness:

   This young closer is spoiling us—we assume he’ll walk out to the mound and shove, and that’s exactly what he does.

noun

1. an act or instance of shoving:

   I gave it a couple of good shoves, but it barely budged.

verb phrase

1. 1. to push a boat from the shore:

      It’s been fun on the beach, but we’d better shove off before the tide goes out any more and grounds our propeller.

   2. Informal. to go away; depart:

      I think I'll be shoving off now.

shove

²

[ shohv ]

noun

1. boon ³.

shove

/ ʃʌv /

verb

1. to give a thrust or push to (a person or thing)
2. tr to give a violent push to; jostle
3. intr to push one's way roughly
4. informal.
   tr to put (something) somewhere, esp hurriedly or carelessly

   shove it in the bin

noun

1. the act or an instance of shoving

Derived Forms

• ˈshover, noun

Other Words From

• shov·er noun
• un·shoved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shove¹

First recorded before 900; (for the verb) Middle English shouven, shuven, Old English scēofan, scūfan; cognate with Dutch schuiven, obsolete German schauben, Old Norse skūfa; akin to Gothic -skiuban; noun derivative of the verb

Origin of shove²

First recorded in 1680–90; apparently variant of shive ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of shove¹

Old English scūfan; related to Old Norse skūfa to push, Gothic afskiuban to push away, Old High German skioban to shove

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. shove it up your / one's ass, Slang: Vulgar. go to hell: a term of contempt, abuse, disagreement, or the like. Also stick it up yourone's ass.
2. shove it, Slang: Often Vulgar. (used to express contempt or belligerence): Also stick it.

   I told them to take the job and shove it.

3. when / if push comes to shove. push ( def 37 ).

More idioms and phrases containing shove

see push comes to shove ; push (shove) off ; ram (shove) down someone's throat ; stick (shove) it .

Example Sentences

More importantly, there’s the inevitability that Trump and a paid-off Congress will shove aside the Biden era’s aggressive regulators, like Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, and allow the digital assets sector to freely prey on more retail investors and promulgate more scams.

From Slate

But I also blame Democratic congressional leaders and large party donors for not leveling with the president much earlier and giving him a shove.

From Los Angeles Times

You know: fancy, elite college types trying to shove social-justice jargon down the throats of every firefighter and auto mechanic in the country.

From Slate

Still, he walked away — albeit only after getting a healthy shove.

From Los Angeles Times

“I think even more meaningful than that is when people dress up in a striped dress and shove a pillow under there for Halloween. It’s happened every year since, and that’s probably my favorite thing — that’s my favorite superlative that’s happened.”

From Salon

Related Words

• cram
• dig
• elbow
• hustle
• jab
• nudge
• poke
• thrust