push (pŏŏsh)

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[Middle English pusshen, from Old French poulser, pousser, from Latin pulsāre frequentative of pellere, to strike, push.]

verb: pushed, push·ing, push·es. 

transitive verb 

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
   1. To promote or sell (a product): The author pushed her latest book by making appearances in bookstores.
   2. 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.

intransitive verb 

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.

noun 

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

To treat or threaten to treat roughly; intimidate.

push off

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

To have one's time taken up by administrative, often seemingly petty, paperwork: spent the afternoon pushing paper for the boss.

push up daisies

To be dead and buried: a cemetery of heroes pushing up daisies.

when 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)

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: campaign

Antonym: pull