Push and shove

shove

While I don't disagree with Ozzourti that shove can be more forceful than push, I think that answer assumes that the effort is being applied by one person to another. When applying pressure to a stalled car, I would not 'shove' it, since that word seems to imply a brief application of force. Instead, 'push' is used, implying a continued application of force. It depends on your interpretation of

There is no doubt that the word "shove" is more forceful and physical in the sense of expressing discontent and aggressive feeling. These expressions pretty much explain it:
You can take this and shove it up your ****.
Take that job and shove it.
Shove it down your throat.
That said, if someone is physically pushing or shoving another person, the consequential meaning is the the sa

It depends on the situation:

He pushed me down the stairs. (This is a violent act that can result in serious injury or death.)

He pushed the plate of food in my face. (Another act of violence.)

He pushed him off the cliff. (A deadly act of violence.)

He shoved me out of the way. (A very minor incident compared to the above three.)

There is another idiom: "If push comes to shove, this is possible." The translation is roughly, 'if the situation gets worse' there is a solution. Based on that idiom, shove may be considered stronger than push. However, I would never shove a doorbell, so 'push' has a distinct application of its own, in my opinion.

wilpeter However, I would never shove a doorbell, so 'push' has a distinct application of its own, in my opinion.

I wouldn't push a doorbell, either. I'd press one.