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
Even so, each glimpse of what lies beyond Earth compels us to search farther.
—
Big Think, 23 Mar. 2026
House Oversight Committee Democrats said Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to commit to complying with a subpoena that compels her to testify at a closed-door deposition over the Jeffrey Epstein files on April 14.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
What begins as a tool for revenge gradually reveals a darker agenda, as the garment compels Leslie to hunt down the killer of its previous wearer.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
There is a growing perception that some schools are frequently tampering and that knowledge compels other schools to tamper as well to avoid being placed at a competitive disadvantage.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Logic compels me to go with One Battle After Another, as editor Andy Jurgensen ensures his film’s nearly three-hour runtime flies by.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Personality is now a big part of what compels buyers to choose a home; agents increasingly hear buyers asking for character and uniqueness over recent design styles.
—Mary Grace Granados
special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
The music alone of this collection is a pleasure, but the voice compels.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
And that’s what compels you to just keep watching.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
Big Think, 23 Mar. 2026
House Oversight Committee Democrats said Wednesday that Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to commit to complying with a subpoena that compels her to testify at a closed-door deposition over the Jeffrey Epstein files on April 14.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
What begins as a tool for revenge gradually reveals a darker agenda, as the garment compels Leslie to hunt down the killer of its previous wearer.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
There is a growing perception that some schools are frequently tampering and that knowledge compels other schools to tamper as well to avoid being placed at a competitive disadvantage.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Logic compels me to go with One Battle After Another, as editor Andy Jurgensen ensures his film’s nearly three-hour runtime flies by.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
Personality is now a big part of what compels buyers to choose a home; agents increasingly hear buyers asking for character and uniqueness over recent design styles.
—Mary Grace Granados
special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
The music alone of this collection is a pleasure, but the voice compels.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
And that’s what compels you to just keep watching.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compels
Verb
-
The registry obligates legitimate telemarketers to stop calling numbers listed on it.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
-
In prior administrations, including during my time in the Obama administration, such leverage ran into statutory guardrails under the Taiwan Relations Act, which obligates the United States to provide Taiwan defensive capabilities.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 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
-
The terms of the deal between property owners and the government obliges these landlords to keep rents affordable for their occupants for decades, generally restricting rent to about 30% of tenants’ income.—
Brian Y. An,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
-
But no character in any Broadway musical of recent vintage is designed to steal scenes like Aunt Debra, and Emily Koch obliges with a bold, brassy portrayal that proves a key catalyst for the engaging spirit of this marvelous production.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The owners will be pushing for a salary cap, and the players for some sort of mechanism that forces the bottom-end teams to spend more, like a salary floor.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
-
When the 25-day storage wall forces a pipeline to stop, the system begins to degrade immediately.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The social experience of living in Margaritaville, focused around the central activity space, drives much of the interest.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Lower compensation drives workers away, reduces availability and increases turnover.—
Peter Mattes,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compels. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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