push-up

[ poosh-uhp ]

noun

1. an exercise in which a person, keeping a prone position with the hands palms down under the shoulders, the balls of the feet on the ground, and the back straight, pushes the body up and lets it down by an alternate straightening and bending of the arms.

adjective

1. (of a brassiere) having padding and usually underwires in the lower part of the cups so as to raise the breasts and make them seem fuller.
2. (of a sleeve) made to be pushed up the arm, away from the wrist or elbow, so as to create a puffed or creased fullness.

push-up

noun

1. an exercise in which the body is alternately raised from and lowered to the floor by the arms only, the trunk being kept straight with the toes and hands resting on the floor Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)press-up

Word History and Origins

Origin of push-up¹

First recorded in 1905–10; noun use of verb phrase push up

Example Sentences

For the “seal hop,” a popular event on Saturday, athletes get into a push-up or plank position and shuffle across the floor on their knuckles — the same stealthy crawl their ancestors used during a hunt to sneak up on unsuspecting seals napping on the ice.

From Seattle Times

“They’re very coquettish. They reveal, they conceal. It’s like a push-up bra,” said 53-year-old Andrew Joseph.

From Seattle Times

Newsom claimed that Biden can catch a baseball in his sleep like Robert DeNiro in “Awakenings” while Jean-Pierre went over a presidential schedule that includes leading a SoulCycle class and winning a push-up contest.

From Los Angeles Times

The test: Schools had the option of giving kids either a pull-up or push-up test, though many chose the former.

From Seattle Times

What it gets right: Exercise scientists agree that the push-up is a gold standard test, not only of upper body strength, but full-body strength and endurance, because it requires awareness of every part of your body, from head to toes.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• climb
• grow
• lift
• move up
• push up
• rocket
• soar
• surge