to push oneself harder
4
3.5
- phrasal verb
:
esforzarse más
- When my symptoms begin to unmask themselves, I push myself harder, feeling like I have to get it all done before I start to feel really bad.
- push myself harder to get
Examples
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During the final week of preparation, I decided to push myself harder to ensure I was ready for the exam.
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He can push himself harder, longer than any normal man.
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This all began because it was time to push myself harder.
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Gives the client security and a little extra help to push themselves harder.
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"You have that incentive to push harder and you want to work harder for it," teacher Christine Loesch said.
Blog text (26) -
If you're resting so long that you lose your pump, you cool off to the point of feeling chilled, or you lose interest in your next set, you need to push yourself harder.
Blog text (26) -
After losing the last match, I told myself to push myself harder during training to improve my skills.
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If you want to achieve your goals, you have to push yourself harder every day.
Synonyms
731
1.5
To try hard to achieve something, especially against difficulty
87
4.2
To use a lot of effort to do something difficult
39
3.6
To keep going despite problems until you finish
39
5.3
To try very hard to do more than usual
21
3.7
Move forward or keep going despite difficulty
10
3.9
To work hard and give your full attention to a task
7
5.1
Make a person or thing work as hard as possible until they cannot keep going
3
5.0
Make a lot of effort to do something
2
7.5
To start working very hard to reach a goal
1
7.2
Use all your energy and take big risks to test your skill
1
4.4
To try harder or work faster to reach a goal
1
6.9
To make a big effort beyond your usual limits
1
7.2
Try as hard as possible to do something
1
6.8
To work harder or faster when facing a challenge
To work much harder and faster to get something done
To continue to try hard even when things are difficult
Antonyms
How Hard
15
4.1
87
4.2
156
3.7
4
3.5
10
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to make a greater effort or force oneself to work harder' follows directly from combining 'push' (apply force or exert effort) with the reflexive 'oneself' and the comparative adverb 'harder' indicating increased effort. This verb+reflexive+adverb composition is compositionally transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Push oneself harder comes from a clear image: imagine you must push a heavy object using only your own body, so you use all your strength to move it. That's why to push yourself harder means 'to make a greater effort' and force yourself to work more.