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
This same self-centeredness compels his girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby) to move out of their modest apartment without warning.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
North Carolina requires vaccines without enforcement State law compels North Carolina school principals to require that kindergartners get seven vaccinations within 30 days of the start of the school year.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026
One of the most powerful yet underappreciated forces in these dynamics is social identity, the psychological force that compels people to sort themselves into groups and take those group boundaries seriously.
—Justin Angle, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
One scene involves Varang poisoning Quaritch with a mysterious hallucinatory drug that compels him to tell the truth about his motivations.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
Oversight Democrats’ latest press release comes after Congress voted on a bill that compels the Justice Department to release all relevant Epstein files.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 12 Dec. 2025
The loss of her mother – that wound – compels Aney to a life of service, which in turn leads her to Farida.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
The law compels huge tech companies such as Meta and TikTok to enforce age restrictions, or face hefty fines.
—Leigh Kiniry, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
But to the unlikely role of a Bogart-esque reluctant hero, Leonardo DiCaprio brings an intensity that compels even when the script falters.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
Judy Berman, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
North Carolina requires vaccines without enforcement State law compels North Carolina school principals to require that kindergartners get seven vaccinations within 30 days of the start of the school year.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026
One of the most powerful yet underappreciated forces in these dynamics is social identity, the psychological force that compels people to sort themselves into groups and take those group boundaries seriously.
—Justin Angle, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
One scene involves Varang poisoning Quaritch with a mysterious hallucinatory drug that compels him to tell the truth about his motivations.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
Oversight Democrats’ latest press release comes after Congress voted on a bill that compels the Justice Department to release all relevant Epstein files.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 12 Dec. 2025
The loss of her mother – that wound – compels Aney to a life of service, which in turn leads her to Farida.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
The law compels huge tech companies such as Meta and TikTok to enforce age restrictions, or face hefty fines.
—Leigh Kiniry, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
But to the unlikely role of a Bogart-esque reluctant hero, Leonardo DiCaprio brings an intensity that compels even when the script falters.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compels
Verb
-
The federal law dating back to 1967 obligates government agencies to turn over records to the public with some exceptions.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
13 Dec. 2025
-
Treating capitalism in general, and industrialization in particular, as a political project obligates Beckert to minimize the role of technology.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That’s not the case, though, with preferred shares—and Strategy has issued plenty of these as well, which obliges it to pay regular dividends to shareholders.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
3 Dec. 2025
-
Passion sparks when the algorithm obliges erotic fantasy on demand.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That forces a different approach—one that focuses less on betting on a specific connector and more on giving guests flexible ways to power their own devices.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
And for Orlando itself, the process forces a long-overdue reckoning with how the city sees its future.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
So, say some small-time businessmen hire a truck through a dispatcher, the truck drives up to a field, and there, along the perimeter, a forklift crane pulls the pipe up from the sand.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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James said winning, not headlines, stories or podcasts, is what drives him, now in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compels. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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