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
Shameful pride compels me to say there are only about 300 players in the Hall of Fame.
—
Ron Mix, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
But the implicit argument, that Colorado law effectively compels Jeffco to violate Title IX, is a major, predictable indictment of our legislature.
—Lisa Frizell, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
This trust compels me to fight for the freedom Rutherford County read freely.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
The New York Times is seeking a new order that compels Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s team to rescind a set of press access restrictions that a federal judge ruled unconstitutional last week.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Seay says his Christian faith compels him to help immigrants caught up in federal enforcement operations.
—Haajrah Gilani, Houston Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2026
Ron Mix, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
But the implicit argument, that Colorado law effectively compels Jeffco to violate Title IX, is a major, predictable indictment of our legislature.
—Lisa Frizell, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
This trust compels me to fight for the freedom Rutherford County read freely.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
The New York Times is seeking a new order that compels Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s team to rescind a set of press access restrictions that a federal judge ruled unconstitutional last week.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Seay says his Christian faith compels him to help immigrants caught up in federal enforcement operations.
—Haajrah Gilani, Houston Chronicle, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compels
Verb
-
The collective defense clause, if invoked by a member state, obligates all other members of the transatlantic alliance to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) obligates foreign streaming services to invest a portion of their revenue into local productions, but leaves the modalities of this obligation to each individual country.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
27 Mar. 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
-
Finally, the series rests on the shoulders of the three principal players, who are just a pleasure to watch; the camera obliges by moving in close.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The 2026 Ram 1500 definitely obliges in that comfort.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But what begins as a local emergency soon spirals into a deeper, more terrifying mystery, one that forces the town’s residents to confront the unknown.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
-
This constraint forces strict prioritization.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The trading push comes as the Middle East war disrupts commodity flows and drives up costs across global supply chains.—
Lee Ying Shan,Emily Tan,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Scientists know that dark energy is an all-pervasive something that drives the universe’s accelerating expansion.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 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 20 Apr. 2026.
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