push-pull

American

[poosh-pool] / ˈpʊʃˈpʊl /

noun

Radio. a two-tube symmetrical arrangement in which the grid excitation voltages are opposite in phase.

adjective

of or relating to electronic devices having components with balanced signals opposite in phase.

push-pull British

noun

using two similar electronic devices, such as matched valves, made to operate 180° out of phase with each other. The outputs are combined to produce a signal that replicates the input waveform

a push-pull amplifier

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of push-pull

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The film examines the push-pull of attraction and rejection on a scope that’s both intimate and global, finding the uneasy space where the two meet.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps the push-pull of the audience’s sympathy with and revulsion at Travis comes from the project’s profoundly personal origins for screenwriter Paul Schrader.

From The Wall Street Journal

Throughout “Fly, Wild Swans” we see how events in China exert a push-pull effect on Ms. Chang.

From The Wall Street Journal

And he pulls off this push-pull magic act for more than 300 pages.

From Salon

With this push-pull dynamic, Bronstein paints an honest portrait of a character whose best is never quite good enough, questioning if it’s possible to regain footing after a total loss of control.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023