Meaning & use
thrust
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To push something suddenly and hard in a particular direction.
Grammar: Takes an object and a direction: thrust a hand into a pocket.
Patterns
- thrust something into something
- thrust something at someone
He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked away.
She thrust the letter at me and left the room.
The fencer thrust her sword forward.
verbtransitivefigurative
To force someone into a situation or role they did not choose.
Grammar: Usually passive or with upon: thrust upon someone.
Patterns
- thrust something on someone
- be thrust into something
Leadership was thrust upon her after the manager resigned.
The young actor was thrust into the spotlight overnight.
He didn't like having extra duties thrust on him.
nouncountable
A strong, sudden push forward.
Grammar: Often with a: a thrust of the knife.
Patterns
- a thrust of something
The fencer made a quick thrust at his opponent.
With one thrust of his shoulder he opened the door.
A sudden thrust sent the boat out of the harbor.
noununcountabletechnical
The pushing force produced by an engine that moves a vehicle such as a rocket or aircraft forward.
Grammar: Technical use: the engine produces thrust.
Patterns
- the thrust of an engine
The rocket engines produced enough thrust to leave the ground.
A jet needs thrust to overcome drag.
Pilots increase the thrust for takeoff.
nounsingular
The main idea or direction of an argument, plan or speech.
Grammar: Used with the: the main thrust of the report.
Patterns
- the thrust of something
- the main thrust
The main thrust of the speech was lower taxes.
I missed the thrust of his argument.
The thrust of the policy is to help small businesses.
Word forms
| third person singular | thrusts |
|---|---|
| past tense | thrust |
| past participle | thrust |
| -ing form | thrusting |
| plural | thrusts |
Common combinations
- thrust into the spotlight
- The shy chef was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.
- thrust a hand
- He thrust a hand into the bag.
- main thrust
- The main thrust of her case is that the law is unfair.
- engine thrust
- Engine thrust pushed the rocket upward.
- thrust upon
- Fame was thrust upon him.
- cut and thrust
- She enjoys the cut and thrust of debate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shove
- Shove is rougher and often aimed at people, while thrust can describe sharp forward motion with objects too.
- jab
- Jab is a short, quick poke, whereas thrust is longer and more forceful.
- force
- Force is a general word for making something happen, while thrust adds sudden, forward motion.
- gist
- For the noun sense, gist means the main point of something, while thrust suggests its direction.
Opposites
Word family
- thruster noun
- a small rocket engine for adjusting position
- thrusting adjective
- pushing forward in an ambitious way
- thrust bearing noun
- a machine part that handles forward or backward force
Commonly confused: thrust or trust?
thrust vs trust
Trust means to rely on someone; thrust means to push suddenly, though the two look alike.
Practice
Yesterday the sudden promotion meant she was ______ into a role she had never expected.
Choose one answer.
Thrust is the past participle and is correct after was. Thrusted is not a standard form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thrust”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.