as in obligates
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide
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Recent Examples of compels
Its central relationship compels, its side characters are rizz-y, and the writing is fire.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, the desire to understand the planet compels them to keep putting on their snowsuits, their wet suits, their business suits.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Yet these productions are increasingly designed around an ethos of visual-over-depth that compels us to immediately document and post each scene.
—David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
One way lawsuits can generate this pressure is through the discovery process, which compels companies to turn over internal documents, and could shed insight into what executives knew about safety risks or marketing harms.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025
While rising inflation generally compels the Fed to leave interest rates elevated, the recent weakening in the job market is outweighing that concern.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
The power of Ed and Lorraine Warren compels you — to buy a movie ticket!
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
The power of Christ still compels moviegoers.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
But their stillness compels you to pay attention.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, the desire to understand the planet compels them to keep putting on their snowsuits, their wet suits, their business suits.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Yet these productions are increasingly designed around an ethos of visual-over-depth that compels us to immediately document and post each scene.
—David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
One way lawsuits can generate this pressure is through the discovery process, which compels companies to turn over internal documents, and could shed insight into what executives knew about safety risks or marketing harms.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025
While rising inflation generally compels the Fed to leave interest rates elevated, the recent weakening in the job market is outweighing that concern.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
The power of Ed and Lorraine Warren compels you — to buy a movie ticket!
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
The power of Christ still compels moviegoers.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
But their stillness compels you to pay attention.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compels
Verb
-
The site of the meeting is complicated as Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court that obligates the 125 countries that are party to the court to arrest the Russian leader and transfer him to The Hague for trial.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The Finding, issued in 2009, legally obligates the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.—
Ken Silverstein,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
While China often threatens and coerces other countries, such as in disputes with South Korea and Australia, its actions are often triggered by events that China feels directly threaten its core interests.—
David C. Kang,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2025
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Compulsory heterosexuality is a theoretical framework coined by lesbian scholar Adrienne Rich in 1980 to describe how heterosexuality as an institution compels and coerces female sexuality for patriarchal purposes.—
Quispe López,
Them.,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate obliges them to manage both inflation and unemployment.—
Drew O'Connor,
Nashville Tennessean,
18 Sep. 2025
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This step is less severe than invoking Article 5 which obliges allies to collective defense if one of them comes under armed attack.—
Brendan Cole
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
So that forces us to be more advanced in dealing with [risks that are considered long-tail] in the US.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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The agent then grabs Moreta-Galarza and forces her several feet down the hallway and into a wall.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Time to turn the heater on as King Sport drives late into the first quarter.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Cadillac, Genesis, Lucid, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Polestar allowed for short loop test drives around Corktown and back.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compels. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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