1
as in drives
to set or keep in motion
gasoline impels a car's engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in compels
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 impels
And so, our mission – grounded in both truth and love – impels us to discern the motives that shape events, and the shifts in thought that drive human progress through higher ideals of justice, mercy, and wisdom.
—
Christa Case Bryant, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2025
Christa Case Bryant, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impels
Verb
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Jude Castellanos, who drives for an independent school transportation system, said her minivan was carrying around 10 children ranging from first grade to fifth grade students when the incident was unfolding.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
12 June 2026
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At a time when corporate values are often reduced to wall art and mission statements, Paul Ingram has spent years studying what actually drives human behavior inside organizations.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Richard Dreyfuss stars as an Indiana electric lineman/dad who gets discombobulated after a light from a passing UFO compels him to do weirdo things — like build a mountain replica inside of his home.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
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This exercise compels you to step out of automatic thinking and broaden your strategic vision.—
Veronica Angela,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson moves the ball up court against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
14 June 2026
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McConnell regularly moves about the Capitol in a wheelchair, often with the assistance of staff.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Being trapped together in such close proximity forces them to revisit their feelings.—
Jenny Bayliss,
PEOPLE,
7 Dec. 2025
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As the desaparecidos pass out of living memory, Gilliland’s book forces us to consider both the price of forgetting the past and the ache of remembering it.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
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With swift footwork, Bottura activates his celebrity to focus the world’s attention on the tragedy in Modena.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The carrier's new Unlimited Day Pass, available on eSIM-capable unlocked iPads, does not require a contract or a credit check before a $3 payment activates 24 hours of mobile broadband.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The Texas law coerces school children to be in classrooms where the explicitly religious messages of the Ten Commandments are held up as models.—
Noah Feldman,
Twin Cities,
28 Apr. 2026
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However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Repetition propels us towards one night in November of 1975 when everything changes, but not in the way the heroine (or the reader) was led to expect.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The new number — roughly $63 million — propels Mahomes to the top of the league’s quarterback market.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The automotive groups accused Volkswagen of violating a standard dealer agreement, which obligates the company to sell its products through authorized dealerships.—
Chase Jordan
May 19,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2026
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The fetus is considered a rodef, a pursuer, threatening her life, and Jewish law obligates us to intervene.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impels. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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