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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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
-
The charging documents showed that Lunn restrained the victim in a bear hug, pinning her arms to her sides, and forced her to the ground behind a quad bench in an overgrown garden area.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
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The disparity has forced Goldman into the awkward position of defending a seat he’s held for two terms by running, at least in part, as the outsider.—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Racial divisions around the case have propelled it to the national forefront, drawing the attention of both right-wing agitators and civil rights organizations.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
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As well as plucking at heartstrings, the show propelled a new generation of cigarette jeans and tortoiseshell headband-wearing girls to pack out The Odeon and drive up the prices of Calvin Klein and Yohji Yamamoto on The RealReal.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
3 June 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
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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 9 Jun. 2026.
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