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PlainSpell

push up

/ˈpʊʃˌʌp/verb

push up is a verb meaning “To make (something) higher; to increase” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled P-U-S-H-U-P.

What does push up mean?

verb

  1. 1

    To make (something) higher; to increase.

  2. 2

    To arise or jut out from; to thrust from.

adjective

as push-up
  1. 1

    Supporting the breasts to increase their apparent size.

  2. 2

    Designed to be worn rolled up.

noun

as push-up
  1. 1

    An exercise done to improve upper body strength, performed by resting on one's toes and hands and pushing one's weight off the floor.

  2. 2

    A push-up bra.

verb

as push-up
  1. 1

    To perform a push-up, or to lift oneself off the ground in a push-up–like manner.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you pronounce push up?

  • /ˈpʊʃˌʌp/

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-push-up.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of push up

  • pushup
  • push-ups present, singular, he/she/it
  • push-upping participle, present
  • push-upped participle, past
  • pushes up present, singular, he/she/it
  • pushing up participle, present
  • pushed up participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Words people confuse with push up

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

push up vs pushup0 B

Also written: pushup (one word or two).

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Push up in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Spanishpush-up, de realce (supporting), lagartija, flexión (de codos/brazos), plancha (exercise performed by resting on one's toes and…)
Frenchpompe (exercise performed by resting on one's toes and…)
GermanLiegestütz (exercise performed by resting on one's toes and…)
Portugueseflexão (exercise performed by resting on one's toes and…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does push up come from?

Deverbal from push up.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).