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to push

to push

97 6.1
To use strong effort during childbirth to help the baby come out
  • verb
  • /pʊʃ/
translation icon : pujar
  • Couple more pushes and we get the placenta, okay?

Umm and eventually she's pushing over the course of an hour, pushing, pushing, pushing.

Examples

  • You had me push three times for every contraction.

  • Sarah saw immediately that Mrs. Higgins was already pushing, a sure sign of advanced labor.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Push, dear, you have to push the baby out, push.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I see the head, push!

  • - Yes, doctor, you just say push and the baby pops out.

  • My little Fishbone got so big that two nurses had to help push him out.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I have not slept and I have a massive baby pushing into my pelvis.

  • You're pushing an entire human being out of your vagina.

  • The breath explodes from her lungs as she pushes really hard.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • When it was time to push, she focused on her breathing to help the process.

Synonyms

to push out
vsto push
16 3.2

To move something outward using force

is specific to a woman in labor using muscles to expel the baby
to force out
vsto push
6 4.2

To push something out with effort or pressure

is the childbirth action where muscles expel the baby
to squeeze out
vsto push
4 4.2

To make someone leave a place or job by pressure

is the childbirth muscle action, not general pressure to remove someone
to press
vsto push
3 8.6

Make strong pushing movements to help move the baby out during birth

is about forceful muscular effort emphasizing expelling the baby
to thrust out
vsto push
2 4.8

Push something outward suddenly and strongly

is a steady muscular effort for childbirth rather than a sudden movement

Antonyms

187 3.2

Stop someone or something from moving forward

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 Forceful

to bear down
4 8.1
to push
97 6.1

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

The verb push in childbirth is literal and comes from Latin pulsare 'to beat' and pellere 'to drive'. Mothers are told to push with each contraction to help drive the baby out, which matches the word's origin.