IMPELS Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

impels

verb

present tense third-person singular of impel

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

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

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 impels Walking through it, which the work impels one to do, shows that the six sections of Shift afford a sequence of passages down into and across the terrain. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impels

Verb

This absence drives Shimoda to unearth historical records like FBI files; to visit Manzanar, the concentration camp his grandfather was sent to in Missouri; and to travel to his grandfather’s ancestral homeland in Japan.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Money drives them apart, but that’s what they’re expected to care about.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

Here, Hendrikx plays anthropologist to a culture that compels each of us—whether a rider or not—to find our own vehicle for fulfillment, then take it to redline.

— Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026
However, the necessity of operating without a financial safety net compels one to internalize these lessons.

— Shreyans Lodha, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

Riley was a direct inspiration on the record, and while the Bay Area composer did work with drones, his influence is more poignant here, in the way Schwendener breaks the melody down into pieces and moves them around.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Bits per second is commonly used in BCI research to quantify how quickly and accurately a user can select intended targets, rather than simply measuring how fast a cursor physically moves.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of moves

Verb

The companies and economies that endure will be the ones that can balance growth, resilience and sustainability—and change before outside pressure forces them to.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
The process forces light atomic nuclei together at extremely high temperatures and under intense pressure.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of forces

Verb

The geometry of the dome itself regulates ventilation and activates natural air circulation through the stack effect, complemented by floor-level air intake to prevent direct drafts and maintain a consistent microclimate.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
The Recorder page activates the glasses’ voice recorder, which saves the audio recording, a transcript of everything said, and an AI summary.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

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
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

Definition of coerces

Verb

In any traditional chase scene, a clear understanding of hero and villain propels the action forward.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Garcia’s comes from standing up straight in his orthodox stance but is driven by his back leg, which propels him forward.

— Chris McKenna, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of propels

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impelling

impels

impend

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“Impels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impels. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of impels

verb

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