pushback
noun
pushback is spelled P-U-S-H-B-A-C-K: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “push back vs pushback” about 10 times a month (Bing, United States). As a noun, pushback means “The act of repelling an enemy, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pushback is pushbacks.
How many letters and syllables are in pushback?
| Letters | 8: P-U-S-H-B-A-C-K |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is pushback?
Pushback appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Words people confuse with pushback
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: push-back (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pushback
- pushbacks plural
- push back
- push-back
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pushback mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of repelling an enemy, etc.
- 2
A procedure in which an aircraft is pushed backwards away from the gate by some external force, usually a special tractor.
- 3
A reversal or reduction.
- 4
Criticism of or resistance to a proposal, stance, or event.
- 5
Summary expulsion of asylum seekers, especially when violating the principle of non-refoulement.
- 6
USSquashing the main video channel into part of the screen to allow another video feed to be played simultaneously; especially, to squeeze the credits of a show in order to play adverts.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does pushback come from?
From push + back, or push back.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).