1
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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2
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
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Recent Examples of propels
Ilia Malinin’s dominant free skate propels the United States to its second consecutive team figure skating gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
—
Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Rocking technology built directly into the insoles propels you forward with every step, and Vibram outsoles offer excellent grip on both trail and street terrain.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Spencer Platt | Getty Images Starbucks on Wednesday reported mixed quarterly results as the company's turnaround propels traffic growth for the first time in two years but weighs on its bottom line.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Despite the hardships, the loving childhood environment propels young Melvin Kaminsky to break out into show business, change his name, and seek global adoration.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
January’s energy is moving quickly for you, almost as if the universe is opening a series of doors all at once, and the Eight of Wands brings a surge of momentum that propels you into plans or conversations that had previously been stalled.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Jan. 2026
The personal connection propels her mission to humanize an experience shared by a large portion (90 percent) of all people who menstruate.
—Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
This apparatus propels projectiles to velocities reaching 8 kilometers per second, which translates to approximately 18,000 miles per hour.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
This perspective propels our story beyond biological evolution and into planetary evolution.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Dec. 2025
Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Rocking technology built directly into the insoles propels you forward with every step, and Vibram outsoles offer excellent grip on both trail and street terrain.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Spencer Platt | Getty Images Starbucks on Wednesday reported mixed quarterly results as the company's turnaround propels traffic growth for the first time in two years but weighs on its bottom line.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Despite the hardships, the loving childhood environment propels young Melvin Kaminsky to break out into show business, change his name, and seek global adoration.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
January’s energy is moving quickly for you, almost as if the universe is opening a series of doors all at once, and the Eight of Wands brings a surge of momentum that propels you into plans or conversations that had previously been stalled.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Jan. 2026
The personal connection propels her mission to humanize an experience shared by a large portion (90 percent) of all people who menstruate.
—Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
This apparatus propels projectiles to velocities reaching 8 kilometers per second, which translates to approximately 18,000 miles per hour.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
This perspective propels our story beyond biological evolution and into planetary evolution.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propels
Verb
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An unexpected opportunity or disruption pushes you into new territory.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
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The blockbuster investment, which comes as India pushes to gain a stronger foothold in the global AI race, is expected to create a $250 billion AI infrastructure ecosystem in India over the next decade, Adani said.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Singleton said that preparation is rooted in a broader understanding of what actually drives trafficking around major sporting events.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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The message drives a grieving John to Carolyn’s East Village apartment, where the pair share their first kiss — signaling the official beginning of their romance at the end of that third episode.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Levi shoves someone just out of the frame, demands to know who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly away from the crowd.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
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The agent shoves the observer again, and then turns his attention to Pretti, pushing him out of the way before shoving the observer to the ground.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon moves between Earth and the sun, but is too far from Earth to completely cover the sun's disk.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
16 Feb. 2026
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Every year from approximately November 22 to December 21, the sun moves through the ninth sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius, symbolized by the Archer.—
Maressa Brown,
InStyle,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Curiosity widens as the sparkling Sun activates your 9th House of Travel and Exploration, inviting you to stretch your beliefs and seek perspective beyond familiar comfort zones.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
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The ad, which centers on a fictional family scouring their community for their missing dog, demonstrates how the Search Party feature activates neighboring Ring home cameras to be used in the search.—
Mason Leib,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Propels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propels. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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