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
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
-
On this day, volunteers drove flowers to a senior living center, where the act of kindness overwhelmed resident Carmela Kemper.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
That experience drove me into public service.—
Christian Mitchell,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Quigley’s blood alcohol content information was not public record until it was compelled by a judge in January of this year as part of discovery in a civil lawsuit.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Iranian media outlets are portraying the development as a victory for Tehran’s negotiating position, claiming that Iran’s insistence on linking progress in talks with Washington to a ceasefire in Lebanon compelled the United States and Israel to agree to a ceasefire there.—
CNN staff,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cameras moved to the back of the room Utah County prosecutor Chad Grunander noted that nearly all of the clips shown by the defense as examples of media sensationalism did not include material from the courtroom livestream.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
When Manning began teaching in the early 1990s, communication between teachers and parents moved at a slower, more deliberate pace.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After a brief pickup in transit attempts on Saturday, shipping traffic in the Gulf stalled once again, with vessels coming under fire mid-passage and being forced to withdraw.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The debate forced a showdown that would have better been avoided.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Saturday's mission was the seventh flight for the SpaceX Falcon 9 first stage that propelled the cargo ship toward orbit.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Food editor Gail Ciampa explains what propelled Pizza Mamma to victory from the initial bracket of 32 pizzerias, toppling even James Beard Award winner Al Forno.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Audacity seems to be setting up a deadly confrontation between them, but there’s still some chance JoAnne can be coerced into playing ball with Duncan.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The criminal syndicates refitted their properties as centres where teams of workers – often trafficked and coerced – run online scams at scale.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The center was initially activated on Friday after heavy rain in Cheboygan caused water levels to rise along the river and the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
However, some form of auto-brightness might have still been activated, buried deep in a menu, or an image-processing feature that also dims the picture could have been running.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The astronauts obliged, returning detailed observations of Orientale.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Seeking an opportunity to be a full-time starter, Thompson requested a trade from the organization the following offseason, and general manager Kelly McCrimmon obliged, sending him to Washington.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
