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to push

to push

25 6.1
To use strong effort during childbirth to help the baby come out
  • verb
  • /pʊʃ/
: 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
186 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
22 4.2

To push something out with effort or pressure

is the childbirth action where muscles expel the baby
to squeeze out
vsto push
16 4.2

To make someone leave a place or job by pressure

is the childbirth muscle action, not general pressure to remove someone
to thrust out
vsto push
5 4.8

Push something outward suddenly and strongly

is a steady muscular effort for childbirth rather than a sudden movement
to press
vsto push
8.6

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

is about forceful muscular effort emphasizing expelling the baby

Antonyms

141 3.2

Stop someone or something from moving forward

Idioms

46 7.1

To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone

To try new ideas that go beyond accepted limits

25 7.2

A situation that becomes serious and needs you to act

2 8.9

To be dead and buried, often said as a joke

1 7.2

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

To ignore or hide problems instead of dealing with them

Spend a lot of money for a special celebration

1 9.6

Try to do something that is very hard or impossible

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

Phrasal Verbs

196 3.9

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

186 3.2

To move something outward using force

to push it
  • Informal
116 5.3

To try very hard to do more than usual

106 2.0

Make something move down by using force

99 2.1

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

To keep going despite problems until you finish

to push around
  • Informal
72 5.6

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

69 2.0

To move something away from you by pushing with your hands

66 3.2

To stop other people from getting close to you emotionally

To keep making progress despite problems

42 3.7

Move forward or keep going despite difficulty

35 2.1

Move something or someone out of the way with your hands

to push off
  • Informal
17 6.8

Leave a place or start a journey

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

to push out
  • Jargon
11 3.5

To send updates or new content to users over the internet

Act in a way that makes other people avoid you

Refuse to think about something, for example worries or objections

4 5.6

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

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

To break through soil or skin when new growth appears

Move a meeting to a later time or day

To keep trying and do well despite difficult times

To work much harder and faster to get something done

To ask firmly for more pay from your boss

Move forward by getting past people or things blocking the way

5.6

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

Try much harder to work or train

Compounds

6 1.9

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

4 3.2

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

3 3.0

It works when you press a button

1 2.7

A bicycle that you move by pedalling

1 4.1

Designers make it very simple so anyone can use it

1 4.6

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

1 2.2

A small switch that you press with a finger

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

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

push-down list
  • Specialized
7.5

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

How Forceful

to bear down
2 8.1
to push
25 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.