as in obligates
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide
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Recent Examples of compels
Economic change also compels extra rethinking.
—
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
And for me, that is the fuel that compels this need to create a new era of truth and justice.
—Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
What compels them to take on such dangerous assignments?
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Both sides may have reasons to cut a deal before pretrial discovery compels Goodell, Gruden and others to testify under oath and share sensitive emails, texts and other documents.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Its central relationship compels, its side characters are rizz-y, and the writing is fire.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, the desire to understand the planet compels them to keep putting on their snowsuits, their wet suits, their business suits.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Yet these productions are increasingly designed around an ethos of visual-over-depth that compels us to immediately document and post each scene.
—David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
One way lawsuits can generate this pressure is through the discovery process, which compels companies to turn over internal documents, and could shed insight into what executives knew about safety risks or marketing harms.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
And for me, that is the fuel that compels this need to create a new era of truth and justice.
—Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
What compels them to take on such dangerous assignments?
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Both sides may have reasons to cut a deal before pretrial discovery compels Goodell, Gruden and others to testify under oath and share sensitive emails, texts and other documents.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Its central relationship compels, its side characters are rizz-y, and the writing is fire.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Still, the desire to understand the planet compels them to keep putting on their snowsuits, their wet suits, their business suits.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Yet these productions are increasingly designed around an ethos of visual-over-depth that compels us to immediately document and post each scene.
—David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
One way lawsuits can generate this pressure is through the discovery process, which compels companies to turn over internal documents, and could shed insight into what executives knew about safety risks or marketing harms.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compels
Verb
-
In May, the city passed new rules requiring retailers with at least 76 carts to either install theft prevention mechanisms, use security deposit devices, or enter into a cart retrieval contract that obligates proactive efforts to pick up their carts.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The recommendation only obligates actions if the parties choose to adopt it.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
While China often threatens and coerces other countries, such as in disputes with South Korea and Australia, its actions are often triggered by events that China feels directly threaten its core interests.—
David C. Kang,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Compulsory heterosexuality is a theoretical framework coined by lesbian scholar Adrienne Rich in 1980 to describe how heterosexuality as an institution compels and coerces female sexuality for patriarchal purposes.—
Quispe López,
Them.,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Rasmus Hojlund is the beneficiary and duly obliges with a low finish through goalkeeper Rui Silva’s legs for a goal that will live long in the memory.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
But the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate obliges them to manage both inflation and unemployment.—
Drew O'Connor,
Nashville Tennessean,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the material will stay in the coma, while the rest will fall into the comet's tail after pressure from the sun — known as the solar wind — forces it there.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Moving on, however, becomes a problem when a mysterious unseen force traps and forces them to relive past traumas together in this supernatural soap opera.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After Fuller drives home to her palatial estate, two strangers in masks emerge from the bushes.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Mentorship drives both confidence and capability, even becoming a powerful tool to foster accessibility and belonging.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compels. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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