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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impelled
Verb
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Kaitlyn Thurman had 3 hits, including a home run, scored 3 runs and drove in 6 runs for West.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
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Stacey Wondra told the detectives that after placing Michael in the duffel bag, the group drove him to a house in Kuna and put him in a spare room, the affidavit said.—
Alex Brizee
March 3,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Republicans compelled the former secretary of state to testify; her husband, former President Bill Clinton will do so today.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Victims would not be compelled to testify against their wishes, according to Rashid.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Informal currency exchange houses have also moved funds across borders outside the reach of conventional banking oversight.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
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In mid-2025, Urquhart and Kelley moved their deal from Amazon’s Wondery to SiriusXM.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Israeli strikes on Iranian oil fields and Iranian drone attacks elsewhere have forced production to slow or halt, while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed over fear of vessels being targeted by Tehran.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Jaxson Hayes and Marcus Smart helped spearhead a strong defensive effort that held New York to less than 100 points and forced eight key turnovers late in the game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Luka Doncic’s 44-point masterpiece — without playing the fourth quarter — propelled the Lakers past the Pacers 128-117.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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Such lack of vision — or ample self-delusion — propelled Americans to disaster in Iraq, even with some competent advisers in the White House.—
Trudy Rubin,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two similar situated individuals, both coerced to commit a murder have a different sentencing structure.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Kamaria Nelson, 25, was charged with pandering and robbing the girl, who police say left her group home last year in the company of another teen, two women, and an adult who allegedly coerced her into prostitution.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Once activated, the system quickly shares identifying information with the public in hopes of speeding up the person’s safe recovery.—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Firefighters received a 911 call from the residents after their smoke alarms were activated and fire crews responded quickly knocking down the fire in 13 minutes, according to the fire authority.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Often, grand jurors are obliged to sit for months at a time, often at great personal expense, demonstrating admirable and selfless fortitude in service of this important public service.—
Barbara Jaffe,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
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The response from the government — to subsidize household energy bills — raised public borrowing hugely, the consequences of which are still being felt today, while higher inflation obliged the Bank of England to operate restrictive monetary policy.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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