1
as in drove
to set or keep in motion
gasoline impels a car's engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Those include removing security gates that people complained rattled when cars drove over the track and notifying neighbors of special events at least 30 days in advance.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
That drove prices over $20, and Larry Dolan, the uncle of MSG Sports chairman James Dolan, agreed to buy the team for $323 million in 2000, locking in a nice profit for shareholders.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Anecdotes like these are the reason Wong felt compelled to start documenting mahjong traditions.—
Grace Hwang Lynch,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Never has Congress compelled the testimony of a former president under threat of contempt charges.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Accepting the award, Yeoh moved the audience with an emotional speech reflecting on her career.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Mission was moved from United Launch Alliance to speed up launch (ULA gets a future launch in exchange).—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Then a week later, Heraskevych received a wave of sympathetic support when he was forced out of the skeleton for refusing to compete without a helmet adorned with more than 20 elite Ukrainian athletes and coaches who have been killed in the war.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Scottie Barnes won the opening 12-minute game for the Stars with a game-ending 3-pointer in overtime, beating the World 37-36 after Edwards forced OT.—
Greg Beacham,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Russia is now propelled by not Marxism but nationalism under the two-beamed cross of Orthodoxy.—
Josef Joffe,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
High school culinary classes and a first job at Bob Evans Farmhouse Kitchen propelled her into a gig at Muirfield Village Golf Club, working tournaments.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In another case in 2023, authorities said an adult posing as a child used Roblox's chat function to contact a 12-year-old boy and later coerced him into sending explicit photos.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Hearst maintained that she was coerced, but she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The garage sprinkler system had activated, helping control the fire prior to the department’s arrival, according to officials.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
-
And lasting up to 40 minutes when activated, the alarm and strobe light’s battery life is impressive.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Last month, the park service obliged, eliminating an outdoor exhibit at Independence National Historical Park, in Philadelphia, where George Washington’s house once stood.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
-
James obliged, but the Heat still capitalized on the moment by selling T-shirts of him in the original black mask.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
