What does it mean to “make a push?”
This phrase is used often in business English.
Listen in today as Aubrey and Michelle talk about a very common expression with the word push.
Pushing toward goals
Michelle asks Aubrey if All Ears English is making a push to create any new courses.
Aubrey shares that All Ears English just launched a new course.
It’s called Professional English Level 2.
Aubrey points out that Michelle used the interesting expression “making a push.”
This is used frequently to talk about goals and plans.
“Push” in this context doesn’t mean to physically move something.
It is moving something forward metaphorically.
It’s about exerting effort to reach an outcome.
It can mean investing extra funds, time, or effort.
Extra push
This phrase is used in chunks such as “push yourself to do something.”
An example is:
“I’m pushing myself to exercise but I lack motivation.”
This means you are making an effort to do something.
You can also use “push” as a noun with a similar meaning.
Example:
- My supervisor wants us to make a big push to finish the outline by this weekend so we can review it next week.
- Our company is making a push to increase sales by fifteen percent this quarter, so we are putting a ton of money into marketing.
The expression “make a push” can also be used in your personal interactions.
Aubrey and Michelle share a few expressions with similar meanings.
#1: Run a campaign
You can use this to say a project or campaign needs effort.
Example:
We are running a campaign to get people to refer friends to our company.
#2: Make an initiative
This can be a push something that you believe in or an initiative that you want others to support you on.
Example:
Our company is making an initiative to cut spending by 5 percent this year.
Here is a bonus term shared by Aubrey and Michelle that is a similar expression.
This is “a concerted effort.”
A sample sentence is: “My team is making a concerted effort to save money on office supplies.”
Roleplay
Aubrey and Michelle share a roleplay using the expression “make a push” and other similar expressions in a conversation.
This will help you better understand how to properly use this yourself.
In this scenario, Aubrey and Michelle are meeting about their company’s plans for the next quarter.
Michelle: So I think we need to make a concerted effort to really increase sales by at least 4 percent.
Aubery: Totally agree. Maybe we should run a campaign.
Michelle: Great idea. We need to really make an initiative to save more and spend less.
Aubrey: Yeah- I heard our team leader is going to make a push to calculate our costs earlier.
Michelle: Got it.
Takeaway
The phrase “make a push” means putting in extra effort or energy toward achieving a goal, whether in business or personal life.
It’s often used when you’re trying to reach a target quickly or with intensity.
To communicate naturally and confidently in English, it’s important to keep expanding your vocabulary.
Check out episode BE 475: Is Your Job on the Line? How to Talk About Risk at Work to learn new vocabulary to express yourself when you are in a risky situation at work.
How will you use the vocabulary shared in today’s episode in your workplace?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
