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to push

to push

958 1.1
To urge someone to do something or try harder
  • verb
  • /pʊʃ/
translation icon : impulsar
  • But when you are constantly pushing for it, what does that mean?
  • push students
  • push people further
  • push the boundaries

He's been openly pushing it at every turn.

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Examples

  • Thank you for pushing me to achieve my goals and not giving up on me.

  • You can give yourself permission to push back on these legacies.

  • Remember, people will push you when your health is low.

  • We have to be comfortable pushing our friends.

  • I mean, that's if you push too hard, right?

  • However, a minority of scholars have pushed back against this view in recent decades.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Paul, I don't want to push you into it if you think it's ill-advised.

  • She continues to push her teammates to perform better in every match.

  • As a coach, my job is to push my players to reach their full potential.

Synonyms

to force
vsto push
2.3

To make someone do something by using power or pressure

is less about coercion and more about determined, insistent urging
to drive
vsto push
3.6

To cause someone to want to do something strongly

focuses more on insistence and direct urging than inner force
to encourage
vsto push
2.3

Give someone support and confidence so they try or keep doing something

is firmer and more insistent than supportive encouragement
to urge
vsto push
591 3.2

To strongly encourage someone to do something

is about determined urging often backed by persistent pressure
to motivate
vsto push
437 3.5

Make someone want to do something

tends to press with stronger insistence rather than just reasons
to press
vsto push
285 3.9

Ask someone firmly and repeatedly to do something

is similar but often includes firmer insistence rather than only requests
to prompt
vsto push
217 3.6

Make someone do or say something

is more about determined urging toward a specific goal
to pressure
vsto push
149 4.2

To try to make someone do something

is similar but often focuses on determined urging rather than coercion
to spur
vsto push
81 4.1

To encourage someone to take action or try harder

is firmer and more insistent than a simple stimulus
to induce
vsto push
51 4.9

Persuade someone to do something

is usually firmer and more forceful than mild persuasion
to propel
vsto push
45 4.7

To make someone want to do something

relies more on firm insistence than on incentives
to nudge
vsto push
24 4.1

To gently encourage someone to try something new

uses stronger insistence and determination than gentle prompting
to exhort
vsto push
  • Formal
16 7.7

To strongly encourage someone to do something

is more about firm, persistent insistence toward a goal
to cajole
vsto push
15 7.7

To persuade someone to do something by gentle talk and praise

is firmer and more forceful than soft coaxing or flattery
to prod
vsto push
8 3.6

To push someone a little to make them start doing something

is stronger, using more insistence than gentle reminders
to urge on
vsto push
5 3.4

To encourage someone to go faster or try harder

is more about firm insistence to achieve a goal rather than cheer
to impel
vsto push
4 7.2

To make someone feel they must do something, often because of pressure or need

is more about determined urging than compulsion from need
to bring pressure to bear
vsto push
  • Formal
1 6.0

To use influence to persuade someone to do something

is usually less about heavy influence and more about insistence
to twist someone's arm
vsto push
  • Informal
1 4.4

Get someone to agree or do something by pressuring them

is firmer urging but usually avoids the extreme coercion implied here
to put up to
vsto push
  • Informal
1 6.8

To persuade someone to do something they would not do on their own

is more generally about determined urging toward an objective
to give a prod
vsto push
3.9

Encourage someone gently to start doing something

is firmer and more insistent than a mild reminder
to offer a carrot
vsto push
  • Informal
3.7

To give a small reward, like money or time off, to encourage someone to do something

relies more on insistence and pressure than offering rewards

Antonyms

257 3.5

To try to stop something by making people less willing to do it

Idioms

To try new ideas that go beyond accepted limits

3 7.2

A situation that becomes serious and needs you to act

1 7.1

To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone

1 7.2

Use all your energy and take big risks to test your skill

1 8.9

To be dead and buried, often said as a joke

Spend a lot of money for a special celebration

To try to make something happen when it is already easy or people already agree

6.8

To risk losing success by asking for more than is wise

9.6

Try to do something that is very hard or impossible

To ignore or hide problems instead of dealing with them

Phrasal Verbs

97 3.9

Force a person or thing to move backward in body and feeling

to push around
  • Informal
66 5.6

To treat someone in a bossy way so they do what you want

43 3.2

To stop other people from getting close to you emotionally

To keep going despite problems until you finish

to push it
  • Informal
39 5.3

To try very hard to do more than usual

37 2.0

To move something away from you by pushing with your hands

21 3.7

Move forward or keep going despite difficulty

To keep making progress despite problems

16 3.2

To move something outward using force

16 2.0

Make something move down by using force

to push off
  • Informal
14 6.8

Leave a place or start a journey

11 2.1

Move something to a higher place by pushing from below or behind

Act in a way that makes other people avoid you

to push out
  • Jargon
8 3.5

To send updates or new content to users over the internet

Refuse to think about something, for example worries or objections

Make a person or thing work as hard as possible until they cannot keep going

Move something or someone out of the way with your hands

To move ahead by pushing people or things out of the way

5 5.6

To join a line or enter a place without waiting your turn

Move forward by getting past people or things blocking the way

Try much harder to work or train

To break through soil or skin when new growth appears

Move a meeting to a later time or day

5.6

Move forward through a crowd by forcing people aside with your body

To ask firmly for more pay from your boss

To work much harder and faster to get something done

To keep trying and do well despite difficult times

Compounds

1 1.9

A small switch you press with a finger to control a machine like a coffee maker or elevator

1 3.0

It works when you press a button

1 3.2

A wide cleaning tool with a long handle that you push to sweep floors

1 2.7

A bicycle that you move by pedalling

A radio you change stations on by pressing preset buttons instead of turning a dial

1 4.1

Designers make it very simple so anyone can use it

4.6

A button on a door or wall you press to ring a bell at an entrance

push-down queue
  • Specialized
7.7

A pile where the last item put on is the first taken off

push-down stack
  • Specialized
6.0

A list where the last item added is the first removed

push-down storage
  • Specialized
7.8

A way to store items so the last one added is the first taken out

push-down store
  • Specialized
8.2

A storage where the last thing put in comes out first, like a pile of plates

A small switch that you press with a finger

push-down list
  • Specialized
7.5

A list where the last thing you put in comes out first

How Insistent

to force
2.3
to pressure
149 4.2
to urge
591 3.2
to push
958 1.1
to encourage
2.3
to suggest
1.6

Surface Forms

push infinitive
pushed past
pushed past participle
pushing present participle
pushes third person singular

Etymology

The verb push meaning to urge someone comes from the idea of 'driving' found in Latin pellere 'to drive'. So to push someone is to give them a strong nudge or drive to do something.