wen pʊʃ kʌmz tuː ʃʌv
General
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- When pushing escalates to shoving
What does "when push comes to shove" mean?
- When a situation becomes critical
- When decisive action becomes necessary
Examples
- When push comes to shove, she always supports her family.
- When push comes to shove, we can reduce the budget.
- He seems easygoing, but when push comes to shove, he's tough.
Origin
From physical confrontation escalating from pushing to shoving. Point where action is required.
How to use it
Sets up a conditional about serious situations. Reveals true character or priorities.
Similar expressions
in a pinch
when it really matters
in crunch time
if necessary
Opposites
under normal circumstances
when everything is calm
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "when push comes to shove" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.