to shove off
12
7.7
- phrasal verb
- /ʃʌv ɔf/
- Informal
:
largarse
- Well, I better be shoving off, then.
- let's shove off
- time to shove off
- just shove off
Examples
-
Time to shove off.
Fiction book (1996) -
- Okay, guys, we shove off in five minutes.
-
Joe, we really got to shove off, okay?
-
We shove off in an hour or so.
-
We're about ready to shove off.
-
"Well," Scott said, "we better shove off."
Fiction book (1991) -
Johnson stows his gear and starts to shove off.
Fiction book (1993) -
You've taken our time, eaten our food, and I think you'd best shove off.
Fiction book (1995) -
We need to shove off now if we want to catch the train.
-
After a short meeting, they decided to shove off without further discussion.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To go away from a place, person, or group
∞
3.0
Leave a place quickly or suddenly
709
1.0
To leave a place or person and go somewhere else
632
3.5
Leave a person, place, or situation without taking part anymore
273
3.2
To leave a place quickly, often to travel somewhere else
175
8.4
To leave a place quickly or suddenly
164
3.1
To leave a meeting or event suddenly to show you disagree
156
9.9
To leave a place quickly, often suddenly
112
3.4
Leave a place suddenly because you are angry or protesting
41
6.3
Go away suddenly without warning or explanation
37
3.5
To leave a place suddenly to show you are angry or upset
37
8.1
Tell someone to leave in a rude way
14
6.8
Leave a place or start a journey
11
4.5
Leave a place quickly because you are angry
10
4.9
Leave a person because they are angry with you
5
3.9
Say goodbye to people and go away from a place politely
4
8.9
Tell someone to go away and leave you alone
2
2.5
Leave a place quickly because you are in a hurry
1
9.9
To leave a place quickly because you do not want to be there
1
9.9
Leave a place very quickly
1
7.9
To leave a place quickly, often without saying goodbye
To walk out suddenly while showing anger
To leave a place suddenly, usually to go somewhere else
To leave a place quickly, often to avoid trouble
To leave quickly and quietly or tell someone rudely to go away
To leave a place quickly, often in a rude way
Antonyms
How Rude
- Offensive
12
9.9
- Informal
12
7.7
- Informal
4
8.9
∞
1.0
709
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to leave/go away' plausibly follows from combining 'shove' (to push) with 'off' (away), so a B1 learner who knows both words can likely infer a basic meaning of departing or pushing away. However, the conventionalized imperative/dismissive nuance (abrupt, rude ‘go away’) and its use as a fixed phrasal verb are somewhat metaphorical and may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Shove off may come from the image of pushing a small boat away from the shore: you shove it off to make it leave. That clear picture of pushing something away explains why the phrase means 'to leave' or to tell someone to 'go away'.