shove
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To move off or along by an act of pushing.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shuhvIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃʌv
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To push, especially roughly or with force.
“The people pushed and shoved to get in line.”
intransitive
To move off or along by an act of pushing, as with an oar or pole used in a boat; sometimes with off.
Press or force
To put hurriedly
noun
A rough push.
A forward movement of packed river-ice.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To push, especially roughly or with force.
Used this way, shove is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The people pushed and shoved to get in line.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “shove to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: shove to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use shove
- “The people pushed and shoved to get in line.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Leave.
Leave.
A game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark.
A game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “shove” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.