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
Richard Dreyfuss stars as an Indiana electric lineman/dad who gets discombobulated after a light from a passing UFO compels him to do weirdo things — like build a mountain replica inside of his home.
—
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
Finding a way to do that, to have in-person contact with others to help them, literally compels her out of bed in the morning.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
Here, part of the luxury is the slow pace; the sheer placement compels you to meditate.
—Valentina Di Donato, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
The legal agreement also compels TCH to fire multiple physicians who performed these procedures, revoke their privileges, and never hire or credential such doctors.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
The subpoena compels the NFL to produce extensive records dating back to 2020 (and earlier for some items) covering the Rooney Rule, the Offensive Assistant Mandate, Resolution JC-2A, the Accelerator Program and the Mackie Development Program.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
What compels Odysseus—and compels audiences to root for him—is his love for his wife.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026
The mystery of what living in a perpetual state of kayfabe must feel like is much of what compels me to keep up with the family’s content.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Yet the Gospel compels us to do just that.
—William E. Lori, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
Finding a way to do that, to have in-person contact with others to help them, literally compels her out of bed in the morning.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026
Here, part of the luxury is the slow pace; the sheer placement compels you to meditate.
—Valentina Di Donato, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
The legal agreement also compels TCH to fire multiple physicians who performed these procedures, revoke their privileges, and never hire or credential such doctors.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
The subpoena compels the NFL to produce extensive records dating back to 2020 (and earlier for some items) covering the Rooney Rule, the Offensive Assistant Mandate, Resolution JC-2A, the Accelerator Program and the Mackie Development Program.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
What compels Odysseus—and compels audiences to root for him—is his love for his wife.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026
The mystery of what living in a perpetual state of kayfabe must feel like is much of what compels me to keep up with the family’s content.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Yet the Gospel compels us to do just that.
—William E. Lori, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compels
Verb
-
The automotive groups accused Volkswagen of violating a standard dealer agreement, which obligates the company to sell its products through authorized dealerships.—
Chase Jordan
May 19,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2026
-
Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that obligates it not to enrich uranium for military purposes.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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 emergency obliges all of us — critical filmmakers, activists, big and small festivals — to be more courageous.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
18 June 2026
-
The court replaced it with a read-in version that obliges parliament to refer a panel’s findings to the impeachment committee, which is responsible for conducting a full inquiry into the hearing evidence, determining whether grounds exist to remove a sitting president.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Soccer forces a humanoid robot to deal with movement, balance and split-second changes.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
-
The question is whether the country will modernize these systems before the next failure forces its hand.—
Gregg Herrin,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Fragrance expert Aimee Majoros, author of Aimee Is Beauty, told Real Simple that packaging quietly drives a lot of the markup.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
-
In one scene, the crew drives into Yosemite, where towering granite walls and sweeping vistas leave most visitors speechless.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
And so, our mission – grounded in both truth and love – impels us to discern the motives that shape events, and the shifts in thought that drive human progress through higher ideals of justice, mercy, and wisdom.—
Christa Case Bryant,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compels. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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