propelled

verb

past tense of propel
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

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 propelled The physical sales propelled the album to the top of the charts. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026 Piker’s popularity among young left-leaning voters has propelled him beyond the internet and into the national spotlight as a prominent voice on the American left. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Investment in data centers and technology powering AI has propelled the economy into overdrive – and maybe helped overheat it. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2026 Darkness was all around me, but my determination and curiosity propelled me toward exploring the unknown. — Michaela Musilova, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2026 He was then set to be a healthy scratch in Denver two weeks ago, when an Egor Chinakhov injury propelled him back into the lineup. — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2026 The same forces that propelled me to write to him were also what drew me to Latin American literature. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 Runs of 11-0 and 13-3 down the stretch propelled the Blue Devils Sunday. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026 Since then, the song has maintained on the chart, and was propelled to even greater heights this spring, following the addition of BLACKPINK’s JENNIE to its quickly viral new remix. — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propelled
  1. pushed
  2. drove
  3. shoved
  4. moved
  5. thrust
  6. activated
  7. impelled
Verb
  • Milwaukee pulled to 85-72 after three quarters and got the first basket of the fourth, but Towns led the way as New York quickly pushed the lead beyond 20, with consecutive 3-pointers by Anunoby making it 106-78.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The Suns had a 17-point halftime lead and pushed the advantage to 91-59 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of pushed
Verb
  • These events fleshed out the world and presented Godzilla Minus Zero with a lot of elements that drove the story forward.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In June 1981, Nissensohn picked up 14-year-old Tanya Jones and 13-year-old Tammy Jarschke, who had run away from a Seaside foster home, and drove them from a Denny’s restaurant in Monterey County to a remote area in Los Padres National Forest.
    — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of drove
Verb
  • The torture, in part, included depriving Gabriel of food, beating him, forcing him to eat cat feces and locking him alone in a cabinet with a sock shoved inside his mouth.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Fortunately, though, we’re shoved right into some drama at the top of the first episode.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of shoved
Verb
  • West initially imagined his look through the imagery of the early papacy—particularly the period when the papal court moved from Rome to Avignon.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Two years after their wedding, the pair moved from their Kansas hometown to Nashville so Martina could pursue a music career.
    — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of moved
Verb
  • If Nik’s not available for Friday, if Nik’s not available for this nonconference slate, people like him and Egor (Amosov) are going to now be thrust into bigger roles.
    — Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Along with the wealth of studies suggesting a reliance on these tools impacts critical thinking , many school districts are wary of thrusting a technology that’s become synonymous with effortless cheating at school assignments into students’ hands.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of thrust
Verb
  • About 32 minutes later, the camera was activated again as Derek left the apartment.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Once activated in the brain, the cells can hunt tumor cells carrying proteins called EphA2 or IL13Rα2.
    — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of activated
Verb
  • Some fifteen years later, her determination to study Schubert lieder with expert teachers was in large part what impelled her to go to Europe.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Despite the challenges, many candidates are impelled by the desire to steer political discourse toward civility and issues that matter most to ordinary citizens.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of impelled

Browse Nearby Words

propellants
propelled
propelling
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Cite this Entry

“Propelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propelled. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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