empujar

Inherited from Late Latin impulsāre, from Latin in- + pulsāre, present active infinitive of pulsō, or a frequentative of impellō, impellere. Doublet of impulsar, a later borrowing.

• IPA^(key): /empuˈxaɾ/ [ẽm.puˈxaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: em‧pu‧jar

empujar (first-person singular present empujo, first-person singular preterite empujé, past participle empujado)

1. (transitive) to push, to shove, to jostle

   Synonym: (obsolete) arrempujar

2. to nudge (push into action by pestering or annoying a person)

   Le empujó con el codo de una manera muy dolorosa.

   She nudged him with her elbow in a very painful manner.

• If wanting to say nudge in a gentle sense, use the phrase darle un empujoncito a or darle un codazo a. Only use the verb empujar for "nudge" when meaning a person is nudging someone forcefully or annoyingly where it is strong enough for someone to be disturbed by it.

• → Portuguese: empurrar

• “empujar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16