Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use thrust in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Thrust means an attack made by moving the sword parallel to its length and landing with the point. Example: “Pierre was a master swordsman, and could parry the thrusts of lesser men with barely a thought.”

Examples of thrust by meaning

nounAn attack made by moving the sword parallel to its length and landing with the point.

  • Pierre was a master swordsman, and could parry the thrusts of lesser men with barely a thought.

nounA push, stab, or lunge forward.

  • The cutpurse tried to knock her satchel from her hands, but she avoided his thrust and yelled, "Thief!"

nounThe force generated by propulsion, as in a jet engine.

  • Spacecraft are engineering marvels, designed to resist the thrust of liftoff, as well as the reverse pressure of the void.
  • the pectoral fins are capable of generating high thrust during flutter2026, Xiangxiang Wang, Hualong Xie and Sirui Li, “Effect of pectoral fin locomotion parameters on fish propulsive performance”, in...

nounThe primary effort; the goal.

  • Ostensibly, the class was about public health in general, but the main thrust was really sex education.
  • “The main thrust of it was that Britain is losing out, that Brexit it not delivering, our economy is in a weak position,” said the source.2023 February 11, Toby Helm, “Revealed: secret cross-party summit held to confront failings of Brexit”, in The Observer, →ISSN
  • As is normal for biopics, the movie takes liberties with the historical record, but the thrust of the narrative is not disputed.2025 January 17, “The Guardian view on musical tastes: beware the algorithm comfort zone”, in The Guardian

verbTo make advance with force.

  • We thrust at the enemy with our forces.

verbTo force something upon someone.

  • I asked her not to thrust the responsibility on me.

verbTo push out or extend rapidly or powerfully.

  • He thrust his arm into the icy stream and grabbed a wriggling fish, astounding the observers.
  • Towers thrusting skyward.

verbTo push or drive with force; to shove.

  • to thrust anything with the hand or foot, or with an instrument

More sentences with thrust

  • As the rise, i.e. height, of the arch decreases, the outward thrust increases.From the entry rise
  • He never got used to the cut and thrust of political debate.From the entry cut and thrust
  • She thrust her yamstick into the hard ground to reach the prized tuber.From the entry yamstick
  • Use of maximum reverse thrust at low speeds can cause the engine to surge from ingesting its own exhaust.From the entry surge
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:cut and thrust.From the entry cut and thrust
  • I got caked up doing hip thrusts.From the entry caked up
  • The patient's face was blue from lack of oxygen induced by an airway blockage, which led a quick-thinking EMT on scene to begin modified chest thrusts.From the entry modified chest thrust
  • We are thrust into a world where we have to grow such a thick skin so fast.2022 May 12, The Learning Network, quoting B., “What Students Are Saying About Teen Mental Health, Moderating Speech and Special Talents”…. From the entry guilt trip
  • "You're coming in hotter than we'd like." "Roger that, Huygens, increasing reverse thrust by 20%."2021, Christine D. Shuck, G581: Mars. From the entry hot
  • Absently, he reached to his side and attempted to thrust a three-fingered palm into the dopestick container.2018, Larry Niven, Man-Kzin Wars III. From the entry dopestick
  • As he pulled out, she tilted her pelvis for his next thrust.2017 December 1, Lexi Post, Temptations of Christmas Future, Lexi Post, →ISBN. From the entry hilt
  • A bodkin, a large blunt needle, was thrust through the tongue for the second offence.2017, Barry R. Harker, It’s Sunday in America, →ISBN. From the entry bodkin
  • Mother shouted the last question with her hands thrust histrionically aloft.2015, Chigozie Obioma, The Fishermen, ONE, page 106. From the entry histrionically
  • He punctuated his demand with a deep thrust up CJ's hole.2010, Eric Summers, editor, Teammates, Sarasota, Fla.: StarBooks, →ISBN, page 90. From the entry pipe
  • "I love that you're a power bottom", Michael said between thrusts.2010 October 6, John Simpson, Wolf's Head Inn, →ISBN, →OL. From the entry power bottom
  • He thrust out through the thatch, and that became woundsome to them.2010, Mark Ludwig Stinson, The Saga Hoard - Volume 1: Icelandic Sagas. From the entry woundsome
  • His hands were thrust down into the forepockets of his trousers. `Ye're an awfu' man Jock.'2010, John Muir, Growing Up In The West. From the entry forepocket
  • She also submitted herself to daggering, the shameless, controversial dancehall dance maneuver that involves rapid-fire pelvic thrusts.2009 September 7, Jon Caramanica, “A Dose of Raunch on a Night of Stars, Shtick and Slapstick”, in New York Times. From the entry daggering
  • The gladius was effective either for cutting or for thrusting and was used by legionaries and auxiliaries.2007, Pat Southern, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History, page 212. From the entry gladius
  • Instead of producing thrust, they cogenerate electricity and heat, meeting another goal of the sustainability plan.2007 September 15, Anthony Depalma, “Building Codes Lag Behind Mayor’s Vision”, in New York Times. From the entry cogenerate
  • That blackheart would have thrust you out to wail and gained the time himself, without you there.2007, Jo Walton, The King's Name, →ISBN. From the entry blackheart
  • Her targe beat aside a spearhead, and then the backsword flicked out in a blurring thrust.2004, S[tephen] M[ichael] Stirling, Dies the Fire, New York, N.Y.: Roc Books, →ISBN, page 444. From the entry targe
  • Thrusts were directed there; major overfolds bulged outwards towards the north.2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 95. From the entry overfold
  • The American cannoneers, normally positioned well behind the front lines, found themselves unexpectedly thrust into a firefight.2002, Mark J. Reardon, “The Lost Battalion”, in Victory at Mortain: Stopping Hitler’s Panzer Counteroffensive (Modern War Studies)…. From the entry cannoneer
  • Gasping, nearly overcome from evading the swinging claws, she thrust the fork into the plum-colored mouth.2002 November 8, Midge Shusta, “Moon of the Green Mountain Mornings”, in Tsali’s Hatchet, [Bloomington, Ind.]: 1stBooks, →ISBN, page 86. From the entry plum-colored
  • Within three seconds D'Artagnan pinked him thrice, dedicating each thrust as he dealt it.1999 [1844], Jacques Le Clercq, The Three Musketeers, translation of original by Alexandre Dumas, page 187. From the entry pink
  • The pockets of his sports coat bulged from having had fists thrust into them too long.1997, Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.; republished New York: Vintage…. From the entry sartorial
  • Dworkin were serious, she would admit that this is the real thrust of her argument.1986 February 8, K.L. Ratliff, “Exit, Stage Right”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 29, page 5. From the entry censorial

Meaning of thrust

  1. noun An attack made by moving the sword parallel to its length and landing with the point.
  2. noun A push, stab, or lunge forward.
  3. noun The force generated by propulsion, as in a jet engine.

Full definition of thrust

Questions about thrust in a sentence

How do you use thrust in a sentence?
Thrust is used as a noun and verb. For example: “Pierre was a master swordsman, and could parry the thrusts of lesser men with barely a thought.”
What is a short sentence with thrust?
“Towers thrusting skyward.”
What does thrust mean?
Thrust means an attack made by moving the sword parallel to its length and landing with the point.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: thrust (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use thrust in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/thrust. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.