1
as in drives
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 compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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
-
So does her husband who drives a van for people with disabilities.—
Tovia Smith,
NPR,
7 May 2026
-
As with all the company’s apparel and merchandise purchases, a portion of the proceeds supports the Guy Harvey Foundation, which funds scientific research, advances education and drives advocacy to protect marine ecosystems.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Yet the Gospel compels us to do just that.—
William E. Lori,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Perhaps that’s what compels me, somewhere in the middle of our lunch, to unmask.—
Zeba Blay,
SELF,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Moon moves through your 7th House of Partnership, making interactions more direct and emotionally charged in subtle ways.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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Both days could produce thunderstorms but Thursday has the higher likelihood of storms as the front moves through.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Since different error correction schemes require different connections among the qubits, this forces us to commit to specific error-correction schemes during manufacturing.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 May 2026
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Lomax, sensing his happiness, forces its end, depriving Stoner of this brief joy.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The Moon in Sagittarius activates your 3rd House of Communication, encouraging direct expression and clearer exchanges.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
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This activates systems in your body that control your stress levels and your hormones.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
4 May 2026
Verb
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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
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Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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That partnership propels their next chapter, even as scrutiny persists.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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Thematic ambition, a sense of the something to be expressed beyond a central romance, rivalry, or farce, propels modern musical hits too, as in Hairspray, or Wicked, or (no duh) Hamilton.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that obligates it not to enrich uranium for military purposes.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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The collective defense clause, if invoked by a member state, obligates all other members of the transatlantic alliance to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impels. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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