To shove means to push someone or something suddenly and roughly. When you shove a heavy box across the floor, you're using real force to move it. When someone shoves you from behind, they're pushing hard enough that you might stumble forward.

Shoving is different from gentle pushing. If you nudge a friend to get their attention, that's not shoving. But if you use both hands to forcefully push someone out of your way, that's a shove. Picture a crowded hallway where everyone's trying to get through a doorway at once: people might start shoving each other, using their shoulders and arms to force their way through.

The word often suggests impatience or rudeness. A polite person might say “excuse me” and wait their turn, while someone who shoves is trying to get somewhere faster without caring about others in the way. You might shove clothes into an overstuffed drawer when you're in a hurry, or shove books into your backpack without organizing them carefully.

As a noun, a shove is the act of shoving: a sudden, rough push.

When someone tells you not to shove, they're asking you to be more careful and respectful with how you move around others. Shoving during games or in crowded spaces can hurt people or start conflicts that nobody wanted.