push
pronunciation
How to pronounce push in British English:
UK [pʊʃ]
How to pronounce push in American English:
US [pʊʃ]
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- Noun:
- the act of applying force in order to move something away
- the force used in pushing
- enterprising or ambitious drive
- an electrical switch operated by pressing a button
- an effort to advance
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- Verb:
- move with force, "He pushed the table into a corner"
- press, drive, or impel (someone) to action or completion of an action
- make publicity for; try to sell (a product)
- strive and make an effort to reach a goal
- press against forcefully without being able to move
- approach a certain age or speed
- exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for
- sell or promote the sale of (illegal goods such as drugs)
- move strenuously and with effort
- make strenuous pushing movements during birth to expel the baby
Word Origin
- push
- push: [13] Push comes ultimately from the same source as English pulsate and pulse – pulsus, the past participle of Latin pellere ‘drive, push, beat’. From it was formed the verb pulsāre ‘push, beat’, which in Old French became poulser, later pousser. Anglo-Norman took this over as *pusser, and passed it on to English as push.=> pulsate, pulse
- push (v.)
- early 14c., from Old French poulser (Modern French pousser), from Latin pulsare "to beat, strike, push," frequentative of pellere (past participle pulsus) "to push, drive, beat" (see pulse (n.1)). Meaning "promote" is from 1714; meaning "approach a certain age" is from 1937. For palatization of -s-, OED compares brush (n.1); quash. Related: Pushed; pushing. "Pushing up the daisies now," said a soldier of his dead comrade. ["The American Florist," vol. XLVIII, No. 1504, March 31, 1917] To push (someone) around is from 1923. To push (one's) luck is from 1754. To push the envelope in figurative sense is late 1980s. To push up daisies "be dead and buried" is from World War I.
- push (n.)
- 1560s, from push (v.). Phrase push comes to shove is from 1936.
Antonym
Example
- 1. The agreement could push up oil prices today .
- 2. But germany also needs to push ahead with liberalisation .
- 3. India desperately needs a fiercer push for liberal capitalism .
- 4. Does the recent push on forest conservation stand much chance ?
- 5. Other professors will push students to better understand complicated financial products .