1
as in drove
to set or keep in motion
gasoline impels a car's engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in compelled
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impelled
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
While the recent protests were sparked by the social media ban, protesters said that they had been impelled by years of government corruption and failure to provide young people with economic opportunities.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impelled
Verb
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Muñoz-Guatemala then drove with the Taser hanging out of the car window, and was arrested about a mile away by local police officers.—
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The suspect drove around the area before surrendering to police in Atwater Village.—
Verb
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Given rising trade tensions and the likely unsustainable strength in the export sector, Beijing might eventually be compelled to ramp up its policy measures significantly.—
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You might be compelled to flirt with the visible lingerie trend or pair a new faux fur coat with tall Uggs.—
Verb
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They are felt as they are composed, painfully, joyously, cellularly—and they are designed for other biological beings to experience, to connect with, to be animated, provoked and moved by.—
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Led by quarterback Tony Pike, the Bearcats moved quickly down the field, setting up a first down at Pitt’s 29-yard line with 33 seconds left.—
Verb
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She and other members of both houses and both parties were evacuated for their safety for several hours as rioters forced their way into the Capitol that day.—
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The township, which has raised the possibility it'll be forced into bankruptcy, said its insurer went out of business before the claim arose.—
Verb
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The benefits are propelled thanks to a patented Hydroxysome Adenosine dermal delivery system, which basically allows the anti-aging actives to penetrate deeper into skin.—
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Mamdani won the most votes of any New York City mayor in 60 years, propelled by his focus on working-class issues.—
Verb
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He was coerced into opening a black safe that contained about $400 in cash, and a gold necklace, gold bracelet and gold ring were taken off his body.—
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However, both Maher and his third wife Heidi have since claimed that Maher's confession was coerced.—
Verb
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And that was several weeks before Johnson pulled his shirt off after a statement 24-15 Black Friday victory over the Eagles, some spur-of-the-moment rambunctiousness that activated a free hot dog promotion at The Wiener’s Circle in Chicago.—
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The school activated a hold-in-place, Granadillo explained, keeping students from leaving the classroom.—
Verb
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Diaz obliged, but not before smacking an unlucky onlooker with a wayward first attempt, above.—
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Grok initially refused to put clown makeup on a Jama photo at the request of one user, but when another person said the photo was not of Jama, Grok soon obliged.—
Cite this Entry
“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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