1 A2 neutral
To move someone or something physically out of the way.
"He pushed aside the boxes blocking the doorway and stepped inside."
separable
push aside
B1 neutral separable transitive
To move something or someone out of the way, or to deliberately ignore or suppress feelings, problems, or people.
In plain English
To move something out of the way, or to ignore something on purpose.
What does "push aside" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic neutral
To deliberately ignore or suppress feelings, worries, or doubts.
"She pushed aside her fears and walked onto the stage to give her speech."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic neutral
To marginalise or dismiss someone by ignoring their contributions or removing them from a position.
"Several experienced managers were pushed aside when the new director took over."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
Transparent — to push something out of the way to one side.
Actually means
To move something out of the way, or to ignore something on purpose.
Usage tip
Used both literally (physically moving things) and figuratively (ignoring emotions, dismissing people). The figurative sense often carries a slightly negative connotation — something important is being suppressed or overlooked.
Words that pair with "push aside"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
feelings doubts concerns problems obstacles competition rivals
How to conjugate "push aside"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
push aside
I/you/we/they
3rd person
pushes aside
he/she/it
Past simple
pushed aside
yesterday
Past participle
pushed aside
have + pp
-ing form
pushing aside
continuous
Hear "push aside" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "push aside" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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