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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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More damage came in the third, when Warren issued a leadoff walk before Ezequiel Duran drove an RBI double to the gap.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
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Daniels allegedly drove more than 150 mph while attempting to flee police in Commerce, Georgia.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Starmer is not compelled to call another general election until 2029, when his term expires.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
7 May 2026
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Alito, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, felt compelled to respond in remarkable terms.—
Ella Lee,
The Hill,
6 May 2026
Verb
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While the chipmaker — and the world's most valuable company — continues to prosper and is expected to show revenue growth of 70% this fiscal year, Wall Street has moved elsewhere, piling into businesses that were hardly visible in the initial years of the artificial intelligence buildout.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
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Researchers tested the system in a maze-navigation experiment where the robot moved autonomously without cameras.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Though embedded in society, these young characters are Kaspar Hauser-like figures, spectrally isolated from the signifying world, forced to construct meaning for themselves, from the ground up.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Liz Leone, who has 52 apartments in Las Vegas and is part of the lawsuit, said the moratorium almost forced her out of business.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Verb
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The Wolves can take heart in the next two games being at Target Center, where the crowds propelled them to a stirring first-round series victory over the Denver Nuggets.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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This is the experience of reading their early work; sitting alongside Myles, we are propelled forth, out into the streets of New York, back into the past, and yet also—inevitably, inexorably—forward to the effulgent future that awaits their young writer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Without that market competition, the plaintiffs argued, gamers were coerced into paying higher prices, effectively allowing Sony to monopolize the sale of its digital PlayStation games.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
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At the same time, they were aggressively promoted — and sometimes coerced — among socially and economically disadvantaged people, often in the name of preventing poverty.—
Sonya Borrero,
STAT,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Psychological and emotional wounds from early life can be activated anytime − whether while walking through Target, or just before hopping on the phone with a reporter.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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However, the report said the chief did identify himself and had lights activated on his unmarked police car.—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ticketmaster’s worst enemy obliged.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
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Of course, Brown obliged the crowd’s request for second-year point guard Tyler Kolek.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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