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
Relevance
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
Rabb was propelled by a constellation of progressive groups, charting a path to victory partly by assailing his own party as listening more to donors than voters.
—
Marc Levy, Fortune, 23 May 2026
Josh Manson dished out a huge hit along the boards in his own end, but also propelled himself into the wall awkwardly.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
The mid-market online ecosystem, propelled by QuickBooks Advanced and Intuit Enterprise Suite, experienced a 38% revenue increase in Q3.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Eveningside’s smaller arms holding on to the chains while Morningside’s longer arms propelled them, her fists and excess joints braced against the ground; their span lengthening, extending and retracting in the girls’ to and fro.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
But the upside is a breeziness that keeps the ten 40-ish minute chapters flying by, buoyed by sharp jokes and propelled by clever twists.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
Turns out, the future has arrived perhaps a little ahead of schedule, and propelled by forward Alex Newhook’s knack for scoring Game 7 playoff series-clinching goals.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
The Soviet Union, in contrast, propelled more than two dozen nuclear reactors beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
The magic brew that propelled rock-n-roll's first stars.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Marc Levy, Fortune, 23 May 2026
Josh Manson dished out a huge hit along the boards in his own end, but also propelled himself into the wall awkwardly.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
The mid-market online ecosystem, propelled by QuickBooks Advanced and Intuit Enterprise Suite, experienced a 38% revenue increase in Q3.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Eveningside’s smaller arms holding on to the chains while Morningside’s longer arms propelled them, her fists and excess joints braced against the ground; their span lengthening, extending and retracting in the girls’ to and fro.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
But the upside is a breeziness that keeps the ten 40-ish minute chapters flying by, buoyed by sharp jokes and propelled by clever twists.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2026
Turns out, the future has arrived perhaps a little ahead of schedule, and propelled by forward Alex Newhook’s knack for scoring Game 7 playoff series-clinching goals.
—ABC News, 19 May 2026
The Soviet Union, in contrast, propelled more than two dozen nuclear reactors beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
—Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
The magic brew that propelled rock-n-roll's first stars.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propelled
Verb
-
One of the activities that received the most enjoyment from viewers was when the girls pushed themselves on the swing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Defense attorney Curtis Rogers pushed back against that claim, arguing in his opening statement that other school staffers, including Zwerner, could have acted.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Qassem and Hanan drove from one hospital to another, trying to find Malak, while Ali stayed behind and kept looking for Zahra.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
-
In the Patriot League, Madison Adams went 3-for-3 with two triples and drove in two runs, backing Caroline Arruda’s 11 strikeouts as Marshfield blanked Plymouth North 11-0.—
Kristina Banahan,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The enforcer handcuffed me and shoved me into the same car, again forcing my head between my knees.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
-
Turner snaked through the gauntlet, as his teammates playfully slapped and shoved him around.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Seventeen states in total are challenging companies with prediction markets — like Kalshi, Polymarket, Coinbase and Robinhood — and one has moved to ban them entirely.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
-
Chevron and the state have been in a tense relationship for years; Chevron moved its headquarters out of California in 2024 after complaining about state and local regulations, and is currently buying oil shipped through an offshore pipeline that California has attempted to keep shut down.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Less than a week after that defeat, Arteta was rapidly thrust into his first ever managerial role at the club Guardiola had just humiliated, taking over at Arsenal and becoming the youngest manager in the league.—
Thomas Schlachter,
CNN Money,
23 May 2026
-
But Dart, who has found a way in front of plenty of cameras this offseason, has thrust his locker room into a dicey place with Friday’s appearance, potentially splitting it along political lines.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Preliminary findings from the train's black box showed the emergency braking system was activated only about 100 meters, or roughly 330 feet, before impact, which was not enough distance to stop the train in time, according to Thai PBS, as cited by the outlet.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
The California Highway Patrol never issued an Amber Alert because Lee’s vehicle had already crossed into Mexico before the alert could be activated; an Endangered Missing Advisory was issued instead on July 11.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
19 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 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
