propel

verb

pro·​pel prə-ˈpel 

propelled; propelling

transitive verb

: to drive forward or onward by or as if by means of a force that imparts motion

Synonyms of propel

• push
• shove
• drive
• thrust

Examples of propel in a Sentence

He grabbed him and propelled him through the door.

The train is propelled by steam.

Recent Examples on the Web

Ilia Malinin’s dominant free skate propels the United States to its second consecutive team figure skating gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. —Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026

The Patriots have propelled themselves from the lower reaches of the NFL back into Super Bowl status in the first season under coach Mike Vrabel. —D. Orlando Ledbetter, AJC.com, 7 Feb. 2026

That, in turn, has propelled the explosive growth of Nvidia’s stock (NVDA), which has surged 12-fold since the groundbreaking release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI chatbot in November 2022. —Rosa De Acosta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026

Jack Olinto led the offense with 22 points to propel Archbishop Williams to a 71-57 win over Bishop Stang. —Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English propellen "to drive away, expel," borrowed from Latin prōpellere "to push or thrust forward, compel to go onward," from prō- "before, in front" + pellere "to beat against, push, strike, rouse, expel" — more at pro- entry 2, pulse entry 1

First Known Use

1558, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for propel

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel

Kids Definition

propel

verb

pro·​pel prə-ˈpel 

propelled; propelling

: to push or drive usually forward or onward

a bicycle is propelled by pedals

propelled by the crowd