押し寄せる

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 押し寄せる, read おしよせる, is an intransitive verb for waves surging or crowds pressing toward a place.
• Basic usage: 波が防波堤へ押し寄せた describes waves surging; 客が入口へ押し寄せる describes customers crowding toward an entrance.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Natural surge and crowd movement
  • The moving mass takes が and its direction へ; even with people, the verb is not a transitive act of pushing them.