Synonyms of compels

compels

verb

present tense third-person singular of compel

as in obligates

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obligates
• coerces
• obliges
• forces
• drives
• impels
• constrains
• pressures
• impresses
• intimidates
• makes
• blackmails
• presses
• muscles
• bullies
• threatens
• dragoons
• sandbags
• twists one's arm
• drags
• browbeats
• shames
• cows
• terrorizes
• blackjacks
• bulldozes
• hectors
• high-pressures
• menaces
• harasses
• badgers
• hounds

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• allows
• permits
• lets
• argues
• induces
• moves
• satisfies
• prevails (on or upon)
• wins (over)
• convinces
• persuades
• talks (into)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of compels

Not the kind of empathy that simply allows someone to understand another person’s struggles, but the kind that compels them to do something about it. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026

Here, Hendrikx plays anthropologist to a culture that compels each of us—whether a rider or not—to find our own vehicle for fulfillment, then take it to redline. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026

However, the necessity of operating without a financial safety net compels one to internalize these lessons. — Shreyans Lodha, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

And most of them did not choose the economic arrangement that compels them to burn that carbon, that splits labor and leisure in this way, that organizes work and pleasure around certain kinds of mobility. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

The deal compels Facebook and Instagram to adopt new child-safety rules, including daily time caps, school-hour notification bans, stronger age checks and expanded parental controls aimed at harmful content. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Washington also opposed another streaming regulation, known as Bill 109, passed in Quebec last December, which compels streaming platforms to prioritize French-language content. — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Frank’s ruling keeps the proposal to raise the homestead exemption up to $250,000 for Florida property owners on the ballot, but compels Attorney General James Uthmeier to rewrite parts of the plan. — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

Every drop hits like a quake, and each muscular beat compels you to shake your ass. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026