push
 push (po͝osh)v. pushed, push·ing, push·esv. tr.
1. To apply pressure against for the purpose of moving:
push a shopping cart through the aisles of a market.
2. To move (an object) by exerting force against it; thrust or shove.
3. To force (one's way):
We pushed our way through the crowd.
4. To urge forward or urge insistently; pressure:
push a child to study harder.
5. To bear hard upon; press.
6. To exert downward pressure on (a button or keyboard, for example); press.
7. To extend or enlarge:
push society past the frontier.
8. Informal. To approach in age:
is pushing 40 and still hasn't settled down.
9. Slang.
a. To promote or sell (a product):
The author pushed her latest book by making appearances in bookstores.
b. To sell (a narcotic) illegally:
push drugs.
10. Sports. To hit (a ball) in the direction toward the dominant hand of the player propelling it, as to the right of a right-handed player.v. intr.
1. To exert outward pressure or force against something.
2. To advance despite difficulty or opposition; press forward.
3. To expend great or vigorous effort.n.
1. The act of pushing; thrust:
gave the door a swift push.
2. A vigorous or insistent effort toward an end; a drive:
a push to democracy.
3. A provocation to action; a stimulus.
4. Informal. Persevering energy; enterprise.Phrasal Verbs:push around Informal
To treat or threaten to treat roughly; intimidate.push off Informal
To set out; depart:
The infantry patrol pushed off before dawn.push on
To continue or proceed along one's way:
The path was barely visible, but we pushed on.Idioms:push paper Informal
To have one's time taken up by administrative, often seemingly petty, paperwork:
spent the afternoon pushing paper for the boss.push up daisies Slang
To be dead and buried:
a cemetery of heroes pushing up daisies.when/if push comes to shove
At a point when or if all else has been taken into account and matters must be confronted, one way or another: “We extol the virtues of motherhood and bestow praise on the self-sacrificing homemaker but when push comes to shove, we give her little recognition for what she does” (Los Angeles Times). [Middle English pusshen, from Old French poulser, pousser, from Latin pulsāre, frequentative of pellere, to strike, push. See pel-5 in Indo-European Roots.]
Synonyms: push, propel, shove, thrust
These verbs mean to press against something in order to move it forward or aside: push a baby carriage; wind propelling a sailboat; shove a tray across a table; thrust the package into her hand. See also synonyms at campaign
Antonyms: pull
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