push-v; 6 Senses

Sense Number 1: press, exert force upon

Commentary: Syntax is: NP1[agent] PUSH (NP2[patient])
NOTE: may be abstract, as in exerting psychological pressure on someone

Examples:
He pushed the table into a corner.
She pushed against the wall with all her strength.
He pushed her to finish her doctorate.
He is pushing his body insanely to the limits.

Mappings:
PropBank: push.01,push.02
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 1, 2, 5

Sense Number 2: strive toward a goal

Commentary: Syntax

Examples:
She pushed for years to make a decent living.
The liberal party pushed for reforms.
The dean is pushing for his favorite candidate.

Mappings:
PropBank: push.02
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 4, 7, 9

Sense Number 3: sell, attempt to sell

Commentary: Syntax is: NP1[agent] PUSH NP2[patient]

Examples:
The salesman is aggressively pushing the new computer model.
The guy hanging around the school is pushing drugs.
I worked my regular job then pushed Amway in the evenings.

Mappings:
PropBank: push.01
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 3, 8

Sense Number 4: approach a certain measurement, whether of age, speed, temperature, etc.

Commentary: Syntax is: NP1[agent[human]] BE PUSHING NP2

Examples:
Well, for a guy pushing fifty, I guess that's about as best as you can do.
I'm pushing sixty-five in a fifty when I see flashing lights behind me.
In those canyons, it was pushing 100 degrees.
Spiderman had been around for twenty-five years or so, but Superman and Batman were both pushing fifty.

Mappings:
PropBank: push.03
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 6

Sense Number 5: make strenuous efforts during birth

Examples:
"Now push hard!" the doctor said to the woman.

Mappings:
WordNet 3.0 Sense Numbers: 10

Sense Number 6: verb particle or multi-word expression

Examples:
push_around
Her big brother always pushed her around when she was young.
push_aside
Physics is too important to be pushed aside.
push_back
The broad availability of the Windows Vista client OS has been pushed back to next year.
push_on
"Goodbye," said Pooh and Piglet for the last time, and they pushed on to Owl's house.
push_out
Coverage of Iraq has been pushed out of the news by other Middle East news.

Mappings:
WordNet Verb Particle Constructions, Multiword Expressions:
push_back 1
push_out 1
push_around 1
push_aside 2
push_on 1