PROPELS Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

propels

verb

present tense third-person singular of propel

as in pushes

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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as in drives

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 propels And the guilt, shame and social stigma surrounding these crimes compounds the loneliness that propels so many victims into scams in the first place. — Juliet Linderman, Fortune, 16 July 2026 Relentless, seething power propels you down the strip faster than your body and brain can cope with. — New Atlas, 13 July 2026 Then she is shuffled back to Korea, and this disjunction is the thing that propels her narrative development. — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026 The system uses the firm’s Prometheus electromagnetic accelerator that propels test materials through simulated weather. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026 The ship’s engine propels it when wind conditions are poor, giving the crew more control over its port schedule. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 July 2026 The cluster transforms an already-formidable single-node machine into a genuine AI home lab, one that propels you beyond hobbyist curiosity into real-world experimentation. — Charles Jefferies, PC Magazine, 30 June 2026 Repetition propels us towards one night in November of 1975 when everything changes, but not in the way the heroine (or the reader) was led to expect. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 The new number — roughly $63 million — propels Mahomes to the top of the league’s quarterback market. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for propels

Verb

But the Mavericks would prefer to trade Thompson than buy him out, and that could delay or eliminate this option for Miami unless Thompson pushes for a buyout in the weeks ahead, something that remains a possibility.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
The backward-looking sound sometimes pushes the band toward exciting switch-ups.

— Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

Asked what drives her through trying times, Penso points to her three daughters, the eldest of whom is 12.

— Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Usage that drives new revenue, creates differentiated customer experiences, or builds proprietary capabilities is a growth investment.

— Paul Keary, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Definition of drives

Verb

The video shows Ron Thompson appear to swing at Thompson, and Stephanie Daniels shoves her.

— Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 9 July 2026
Here in the famous Festival Theatre, the sprite Ariel, played in splendidly sprightly fashion by Marissa Orjalo, opens up the top of a piano, a piece of island flotsam and Prospero, in the form of the veteran actor Geraint Wyn Davies, shoves his coat inside, throws up his hands and closes the lid.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026

Definition of shoves

Verb

The financing is assembled, the logic of the deal does not decay, and every quarter that resembles the last one moves shareholders toward the bidders' side of the table.

— Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Monsoon storms continue in the Southwest The Southwest will continue to see daily chances for thunderstorms as monsoon moisture moves across the region.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 27 July 2026

Definition of moves

Verb

Chili introduces capsaicin, which activates nerves responsible for sensing heat rather than taste.

— Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
Every summer in Rhode Island, Art&Newport—an organization founded in 2017 by Dodie Kazanjian, a longtime contributing editor at this magazine—activates one of the seaside city’s most historic (and picturesque) sites with a temporary art exhibition.

— Vogue, Vogue, 28 July 2026