1
as in to drive
to set or keep in motion
gasoline impels a car's engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to compel
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be
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 impel
Are the individuals to blame, or are they impelled by a cruel society or a divinely sanctioned hand?
—
Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Economic troubles have impelled many Southern conservatives, like Mayor Rocker, to consider fresh approaches to the role that government plays in health care.
—Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2024
When Instagram sends notifications about likes or worthwhile posts, people are impelled to open the app and start scrolling; when sports-betting apps send push alerts about fantastic parlays, people are coaxed into placing one more bet.
—Christine Emba, The Atlantic, 8 July 2024
Recent botanical research such as Clark’s impelled the foundation to expand into Centinela.
—Amanda Schupak, CNN, 13 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for impel
Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Economic troubles have impelled many Southern conservatives, like Mayor Rocker, to consider fresh approaches to the role that government plays in health care.
—Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2024
When Instagram sends notifications about likes or worthwhile posts, people are impelled to open the app and start scrolling; when sports-betting apps send push alerts about fantastic parlays, people are coaxed into placing one more bet.
—Christine Emba, The Atlantic, 8 July 2024
Recent botanical research such as Clark’s impelled the foundation to expand into Centinela.
—Amanda Schupak, CNN, 13 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for impel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impel
Verb
-
Now, for the 2025 Oscars, a handful of stars continued to drive that style trend after the red carpet for Hollywood biggest night, leaning into the naked vibe at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, which has become somewhat of a tradition.—
Jackie Strause,
The Hollywood Reporter,
3 Mar. 2025
-
They were pulled over by task force members for speeding along I-95 and found to have been driving without a driver's license.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
Fox News,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
If the court finds that Musk is the child's father, St. Clair can then compel him to pay child support.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Mulligan invites Thompson — after her Misty used magic to compel the dragon to dance as a distraction — to roll for the dragon’s power to resist it.—
Eric Francisco,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Many view these teams as a potential pair if the Browns were to move Garrett after his trade request.—
Colton Pouncy,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The start of a new year is a time for planning, embracing change and moving forward.—
Kristjan Vilosius,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Tracking the Trump administration’s rollback of climate and environmental policies can seem like being forced through a wormhole back in time.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The episode opened right where the last one left off — Britney was forced to decide Danielle’s fate at the roundtable after Danielle and Ivar tied in votes at the penultimate banishment ceremony.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Leo full moon activates themes of intimacy and transformation, encouraging you to dive deeper into your emotional connections.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Mar. 2025
-
The following year, on Oct. 21, the fledgling military branch activated Space Operations Command at Peterson Air Force Base (now Peterson Space Force Base) in Colorado.—
Julian Dossett,
Space.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Trump’s rocky relationship with Zelensky goes back five years—to when Trump first held up military assistance Congress had authorized for Ukraine to coerce Zelensky into investigating his political rival Joe Biden.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
5 Mar. 2025
-
A week later, the White House used the threat of tariffs to coerce Mexico into dispatching thousands of additional troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to combat fentanyl smuggling.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the wide, stable platform and bouncy, just-soft-enough foam gently propelled me forward.—
Lauren Wingenroth,
SELF,
3 Mar. 2025
-
The German Taurus is a 1.5-ton cruise missile with a turbofan engine propelling it to high subsonic speeds over a distance of around 300 miles under GPS and inertial guidance.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
While the city is legally obligated to make the $175 million pension payment, the majority of staff covered by the municipal pension fund are current or former nonteacher CPS staff.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
-
On one hand, there's a series of boring meet-and-greets Fisk is obligated to make.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impel. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share