1
as in pushed
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
playfully he propelled his rambunctious friend into the swimming pool to cool off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in drove
to set or keep in motion
the aircraft is propelled by a pair of turboprop engines
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of propelled
The success of Upbit has propelled Dunamu’s cofounders Song Chi-hyung and Kim Hyoung-nyon into the world’s billionaire ranks.
—
Zinnia Lee, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The magic brew that propelled rock-n-roll's first stars.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
The war has sparked soaring energy costs and the latest inflation report was the highest in three years, propelled by surging gasoline prices.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 13 May 2026
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Chip stocks dropped on Tuesday, pulling back from a massive rally that broadened the artificial intelligence trade beyond Nvidia and propelled the sector to new highs.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Well, there’s a ton of music still on the table to be used, dramatized, and propelled back onto the streaming charts.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
The experience propelled him to go to the Amazon to embark on a month-long program at the Paititi Institute.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 11 May 2026
The same fan had decidedly less to say not long afterwards, as two Wrexham goals in 99 seconds propelled them into the play-off places for the first time.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 11 May 2026
That swing propelled the Rockies to a 6-2 win over the Mets on Thursday at Coors Field, avoiding a sweep and snapping a six-game losing streak.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
Zinnia Lee, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
The magic brew that propelled rock-n-roll's first stars.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
The war has sparked soaring energy costs and the latest inflation report was the highest in three years, propelled by surging gasoline prices.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 13 May 2026
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Chip stocks dropped on Tuesday, pulling back from a massive rally that broadened the artificial intelligence trade beyond Nvidia and propelled the sector to new highs.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Well, there’s a ton of music still on the table to be used, dramatized, and propelled back onto the streaming charts.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
The experience propelled him to go to the Amazon to embark on a month-long program at the Paititi Institute.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 11 May 2026
The same fan had decidedly less to say not long afterwards, as two Wrexham goals in 99 seconds propelled them into the play-off places for the first time.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 11 May 2026
That swing propelled the Rockies to a 6-2 win over the Mets on Thursday at Coors Field, avoiding a sweep and snapping a six-game losing streak.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propelled
Verb
-
The differences between racial attitudes in America and those in Britain both pushed and pulled him out of his home country, but America needed that gift less than Britain did.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool did it by having Jordan Henderson drop from the right side of midfield to cover the space when Alexander-Arnold pushed up from full-back.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Rowles, meanwhile, contributed a sharp single that drove in a run during an eight-run first inning.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
The Union pushed up the pitch quickly to find an unmarked Bender, who drove a low shot past the outstretched fingers of Maxime Crépeau to level the match at 3-3 in the 79th minute, setting the stage for Ojeda’s last-minute winner.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The room was narrow and had only one window, and the seminar table was actually four small tables of different heights, which, shoved together, rocked back and forth like shifting tectonic plates.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
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Minnesota’s Daemon Hunt shoved Gabe Landeskog into goalie Jesper Wallstedt, and Nathan MacKinnon was there to tap the puck across the goal line.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
Verb
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After staff members broke up the altercation for a second time, several individuals, including Hayes and two of her daughters, were moved to a grassy area beside the school building, according to the affidavit.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
Fugaz moved to this location early last year—the former spot was, though somewhat unbelievable, even smaller.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The painting, surrounded by scaffolding while the church undergoes repairs, is full of thrusting diagonals and shadowy figures, a meditation on both extreme suffering and pointed indifference to it.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
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Nereyda said this year hasn’t been as bad as a year ago when Hernandez was first thrust into a national anti-trans backlash.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Once activated, the molecule captures the drifting intermediates and improves charge transport inside the battery.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
-
Raisel Iglesias has returned from the IL; Ha-Seong Kim was activated on Monday; Acuña is running again; and Spencer Schwellenbach could return this summer.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Propelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propelled. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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