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

Their passion and talent will propel these films into the world and make audiences sit up and take notice. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2026

Over three decades, Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang helped propel the chipmaker’s rise into one of the world’s most valuable and resilient companies, leading the business through near-death and periods of reinvention. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026

But Anthropic’s growth has so far defied those concerns, propelled by surging demand for its products, particularly its viral Claude models. — Reuters, NBC news, 10 Nov. 2026

The ravenous appetite from hyperscalers such as Amazon and Google for Nvidia’s chips propelled its annual revenue from under $11 billion to more than $130 billion between 2020 and 2025. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 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