Meanings
alternative if push comes to shove
- figurativelyidiomaticWhen the pressure is on; when the situation is critical or urgent; when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult.
He is not a particularly talented builder, but when push comes to shove, he can usually get the job done.
2 more examples
While most chose at that time either to disband or to join the APC rally several blocks north in McPherson Park, several hundred mostly young DC-area blacks and a sizable number of militant Palestinians continued to demand their right to confront the Klan. Push somehow came to shove and the face-off began. Several hours of street fighting followed.
1982 December 18, David France, “Protests Drive Klan Rally Out Of Washington”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 1"We've demonstrated that when push comes to shove, we can be really fast, we can be agile, we can do things more slickly.
2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 35
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Arabic عندما يجدّ الجدّ
- عندما يجدّ الجدّwhen the pressure is on
Czech když dojde na lámání chleba
- když dojde na lámání chlebawhen the pressure is on
Danish når det kommer til stykket
- når det kommer til stykketwhen the pressure is on
Dutch als puntje bij paaltje komt
- als puntje bij paaltje komtwhen the pressure is on
Finnish kun on pakko, tosipaikan tullen
- kun on pakkowhen the pressure is on
- tosipaikan tullenwhen the pressure is on
German wenn es ernst wird, wenn es hart auf hart kommt
- wenn es ernst wirdwhen the pressure is on
- wenn es hart auf hart kommtwhen the pressure is on
Greek όταν τα πράγματα φτάνουν στο απροχώρητο
- όταν τα πράγματα φτάνουν στο απροχώρητο (ótan ta prágmata ftánoun sto aprochórito)when the pressure is on
Hungarian ha minden kötél szakad, ha nagyon muszáj
- ha minden kötél szakadwhen the pressure is on
- ha nagyon muszájwhen the pressure is on
- végszükség eseténwhen the pressure is on
Indonesian pada saat-saat genting
- pada saat-saat gentingwhen the pressure is on
Italian quando si viene al dunque, quando il gioco si fa duro
- quando si viene al dunquewhen the pressure is on
- quando il gioco si fa durowhen the pressure is on
Japanese いざとなると, いざとなったら
- いざとなると (iza to naru to)when the pressure is on
- いざとなったら (iza to nattara)when the pressure is on
Norwegian Bokmål når det kommer til stykket
- når det kommer til stykketwhen the pressure is on
Polish kiedy przychodzi co do czego
- kiedy przychodzi co do czegowhen the pressure is on
Russian когда́ как сле́дует прижмёт
- когда́ как сле́дует прижмёт (kogdá kak slédujet prižmjót)when the pressure is on
Spanish cuando las papas queman, a la hora de la verdad
- cuando las papas quemanwhen the pressure is on
- a la hora de la verdadwhen the pressure is on
- cuando llegue el momentowhen the pressure is on
- cuando llega la hora de la verdadwhen the pressure is on
- cuando las cosas se ponen difícileswhen the pressure is on
- cuando las cosas se pongan feaswhen the pressure is on
- cuando el empuje viene a empellerwhen the pressure is on
Swedish när det kommer till kritan
- när det kommer till kritanwhen the pressure is on
Cite this entry
when push comes to shove. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/when%20push%20comes%20to%20shove
“when push comes to shove.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/when%20push%20comes%20to%20shove. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “when push comes to shove,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/when%20push%20comes%20to%20shove.
Source: when push comes to shove on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.