1
as in drove
to set or keep in motion
gasoline impels a car's engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in compelled
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impelled
Both were impelled to launch ninth-inning pushes to persuade Oscar voters that Shakespeare wasn’t really in love and Private Ryan needed serious saving.
—
Peter Bart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Daniel’s commercial failure as a novelist impelled him to move to Los Angeles to try writing for the movies.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
While the recent protests were sparked by the social media ban, protesters said that they had been impelled by years of government corruption and failure to provide young people with economic opportunities.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
While Elijah had consistently depended on God up to that point, great fear impelled him to run far into the wilderness.
—Cheryl Ranson, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2025
Peter Bart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Daniel’s commercial failure as a novelist impelled him to move to Los Angeles to try writing for the movies.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
While the recent protests were sparked by the social media ban, protesters said that they had been impelled by years of government corruption and failure to provide young people with economic opportunities.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
While Elijah had consistently depended on God up to that point, great fear impelled him to run far into the wilderness.
—Cheryl Ranson, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impelled
Verb
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As the family entered the intersection, Erickson drove by them and avoided a collision.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Tovar drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right field in the second.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Verb
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As imperial forces traversed continents, the meanings and uses of these arrivals—whether people, plants, or ideologies— were actively negotiated and reshaped by the societies and environments compelled to contend with them.—
Sophia Rey,
JSTOR Daily,
28 May 2026
-
Large pharmaceutical companies are structurally compelled to acquire.—
Marc Cooper,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Ogwumike, who sat out the Sparks’ victory over the Las Vegas Aces last weekend due to a hand injury, moved into sixth place on the WNBA’s career rebounding list with 3,312 and now has a franchise-record 2,339 made field goals for the Sparks.—
Daily News,
Daily News,
30 May 2026
-
Ogwumike moved past Lisa Leslie, who had 2,332 field goals for the Sparks and 3,307 career rebounds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Today, however, the opposite is true, and they are deliberately displayed as current fashion trends have brought to the surface what was once forced to be hidden.—
Teresa Romero Martínez,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
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Fueled by large stocks of critically dry vegetation and extreme winds, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced over 150,000 evacuations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Five runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth propelled the comeback, with Nick Feidler breaking a 6-6 tie by hitting a solo home run.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
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The global media blitz about Gleitze’s Channel swim and Rolex propelled Oyster purchases around the world.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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In the state of Arkansas, lawmakers worked across the aisle on a bold bill that categorizes kids recruited into gangs and coerced into committing crimes as victims.—
Ana Zamora,
Time,
3 June 2026
-
The thoughtlessness with which this bride coerced you into subsidizing her wedding was stunning.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The work’s whistling sounds are activated by pouring liquid into a spout and swirling it around to create changes in atmospheric pressure within.—
Andy Battaglia,
ARTnews.com,
2 June 2026
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The brand also activated at Coachella in April, hosting the Hoody House, which Dickson said sold roughly 10,000 custom hoodies and generating over 300 million social media and press impressions.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
Verb
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At the heart of Le Parc’s immersive, interactive and multi-sensory works was the viewer experience in contrast to art for a passive audience maintained at arm’s length and obliged to accept an artist’s propositions.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Even Lawrence’s admirers felt obliged to distance themselves from the novel.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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