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Meaning & use

push away

verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌpʊʃ əˈweɪ/
US/ˌpʊʃ əˈweɪ/

Meanings

  1. verbphrasal verb

    To move something or someone away from you by pressing against it.

    Grammar: Takes an object: push the plate away.

    Patterns

    • push something away
    • push someone away

    He pushed the plate away and stood up.

    She pushed the dog away from the table.

    Push the chair away from the wall.

  2. verbphrasal verbfigurative

    To reject someone, especially a person who cares about you, and keep them at a distance.

    Grammar: Takes a person as the object.

    Patterns

    • push someone away

    When he's upset, he pushes everyone away.

    Don't push away the friends who want to help.

    She pushed her family away after the accident.

  3. verbphrasal verbfigurative

    To refuse to think about or accept something, such as a feeling or idea.

    Grammar: Takes an abstract object.

    Patterns

    • push something away

    He tried to push away his fears.

    She pushed away the thought that she might fail.

    I can't push away the memory.

Word forms

third person singularpushes away
past tensepushed away
past participlepushed away
-ing formpushing away

Common combinations

push someone away
Grief can make you push people away.
push the plate away
He pushed the plate away, full at last.
push away a thought
She tried to push away a thought about work.
gently push away
He gently pushed away her hand.
push away from the table
They pushed away from the table after dinner.

Synonyms and how they differ

shove
Shove is rougher and more forceful, while push away may be gentle.
reject
Reject is general and formal, but push away stresses emotional distance.
repel
Repel suggests driving something back, often by force or by a quality like smell, which is stronger than push away.
fend off
Fend off means defending yourself from an attack, rather than rejecting someone close.

Opposites

pull closerdraw in

Word family

push verb
to press to move something
pushy adjective
too forceful in making demands
pushback noun
resistance
push aside phrasal verb
to ignore or move out of the way

Commonly confused: push away or push off?

push away vs push off

Push off means to leave, or to start moving away from a surface, which is different from rejecting someone.

Practice

After the argument, he tried to ___ everyone who wanted to comfort him.

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