push away
B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To move something away from you, or to stop letting someone be close to you.
Literal meaning: Transparent — to push something in a direction away from oneself.
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
To move someone or something physically away from you by pushing.
"She pushed away her plate, having barely eaten anything."
Grammar: separable
2 B1
idiomatic
neutral
To reject or emotionally distance oneself from someone, often unintentionally due to fear or personal issues.
"He has a habit of pushing away the people who care about him most."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
The emotional sense is very common in discussions of relationships and psychology — people who 'push others away' create distance due to fear or trauma. The physical sense is straightforward.
Commonly used with
help friends loved ones people plate hand support
Forms
Base
push away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
pushes away
he/she/it
Past simple
pushed away
yesterday
Past participle
pushed away
have + pp
-ing form
pushing away
continuous
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