1
as in pushing
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
the cat thrust her paw under the couch, trying to reach her toy mouse
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in rising
to move or extend upward
the butte thrusts up 300 feet from the floor of the valley
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of thrusting
The painting, surrounded by scaffolding while the church undergoes repairs, is full of thrusting diagonals and shadowy figures, a meditation on both extreme suffering and pointed indifference to it.
—
Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
No sooner are Lucila and her brother Diego (Sergio Bautista) tearfully abandoned by their mother as children than the Spanish setting takes the wheel, thrusting us quickly and headfirst into Lucila’s young adult life nearly a decade later, without even half a second’s worth of reflection.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 May 2026
Zohran Mamdani’s anti-business, anti-wealth crusade is thrusting the city into a death spiral — fewer businesses and residents mean higher taxes, since local leaders won’t cut spending, driving even more to leave.
—Liz Peek, Washington Post, 4 May 2026
The Orlando teammates shared a quick high-five before thrusting the air awfully close to one another.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Each actor elevates and pushes the other toward greatness, parrying and thrusting in excruciating exchanges and switching from vulnerability to anger in a matter of seconds.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Elizabeth’s father became King George VI, thrusting the young princess into the spotlight as heir to throne.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
After fighting to find their way back to one another, Henry and Julia were at the standing stones of Craig Na Dun, hoping to return to their own time, and Brian and Ellen’s romantic escape was interrupted as the 1715 Jacobite Rising began, thrusting the clans into war.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
The long-running series is enjoying its latest act on Netflix after previously airing on Fox and USA, tantalizing viewers by thrusting four couples due for a reckoning into an exotic locale overflowing with sultry singles whose only goal is to flirt.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
No sooner are Lucila and her brother Diego (Sergio Bautista) tearfully abandoned by their mother as children than the Spanish setting takes the wheel, thrusting us quickly and headfirst into Lucila’s young adult life nearly a decade later, without even half a second’s worth of reflection.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 May 2026
Zohran Mamdani’s anti-business, anti-wealth crusade is thrusting the city into a death spiral — fewer businesses and residents mean higher taxes, since local leaders won’t cut spending, driving even more to leave.
—Liz Peek, Washington Post, 4 May 2026
The Orlando teammates shared a quick high-five before thrusting the air awfully close to one another.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Each actor elevates and pushes the other toward greatness, parrying and thrusting in excruciating exchanges and switching from vulnerability to anger in a matter of seconds.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Elizabeth’s father became King George VI, thrusting the young princess into the spotlight as heir to throne.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
After fighting to find their way back to one another, Henry and Julia were at the standing stones of Craig Na Dun, hoping to return to their own time, and Brian and Ellen’s romantic escape was interrupted as the 1715 Jacobite Rising began, thrusting the clans into war.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
The long-running series is enjoying its latest act on Netflix after previously airing on Fox and USA, tantalizing viewers by thrusting four couples due for a reckoning into an exotic locale overflowing with sultry singles whose only goal is to flirt.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrusting
Verb
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Rough seas and hazardous underwater conditions repeatedly delayed search efforts as crews mapped and marked the cave entrance before pushing deeper inside.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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That’s why Stuart expects the energy crisis will get worse this spring and summer, pushing gas to $5 a gallon as soon as this month.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Trump’s approval ratings have fallen to below forty per cent, the Iran war grinds on, and gas prices have been rising, as has inflation.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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The next day she is shipped off to her first job, also within the confines of this impossibly vast building, which involves shoving film canisters down a pneumatic tube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
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Since last week, a video has been circulating online of a worker at a McDonald's in Southbridge shoving a handful of fries in her mouth before placing them into one of the fast food chain's red fry containers, according to NBC Boston and Boston 25 News.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Just ask Panthers guard Robert Hunt, who has stories about Eagles fans climbing onto opposing team buses and wreaking havoc.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
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However, the young Italian appeared to go over his limit by attempting to match Vingegaard, quickly becoming gapped after just a kilometre of climbing together.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The critical shipping passage has been a key point of the war, driving up gas prices.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Schauffele ranks in the tournament’s top five in both putting and driving, and has hit 28 of 42 fairways this week.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Shadows and light, inside Wallace Chan's Mythos exhibition Visitors encounter shifting perspectives of the sculptures while ascending the tower’s circular staircase.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Before resurfacing, the divers must stay in shallow water to decompress after ascending from the cave’s depths.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Verb
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For one, tech behemoth Microsoft reported better-than-expected quarterly results recently and told investors that capital expenditures for the year will reach $190 billion due to soaring memory costs.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
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Denbil, chairman of Horn Gardens in the city of Hargeisa, says the delays, driven by disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East, are hitting farmers and families across the country, as soaring food and fuel prices deepen an already severe hunger crisis and push Somalia closer to famine.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
Verb
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No doubt the bill of materials will be lower on this twelve-month-old design, lifting the margins on what will remain the current vanilla handset.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Appropriately, 19 miles east of their first major trophy lift since the 2021/22 League Cup, City men busied themselves by lifting the FA Cup over Chelsea in what was Pep Guardiola’s 24th visit to Wembley Stadium and his 20th major trophies as City manager.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thrusting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrusting. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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