compel
Americanverb (used with object)
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compels,
present (3rd person singular)
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compelled,
past participle, past
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compelling
present participle
verb (used without object)
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compels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
compelled,
past participle, past
-
compelling
present participle
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to use force.
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to have a powerful and irresistible effect, influence, etc.
verb
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to cause (someone) by force (to be or do something)
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to obtain by force; exact
to compel obedience
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to overpower or subdue
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archaic to herd or drive together
Synonym Usage
Compel, impel agree in the idea of using physical or other force to cause something to be done. Compel means to constrain someone, in some way, to yield or to do what one wishes: to compel a recalcitrant debtor to pay; Fate compels us to face danger and trouble. Impel may mean literally to push forward, but is usually applied figuratively, meaning to provide a strong motive or incentive toward a certain end: Wind impels a ship. Curiosity impels me to ask.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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compellernoun
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precompelverb (used with object)
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compellableadjective
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compellentadjective
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uncompellableadjective
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compellablyadverb
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compellinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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compelsimple
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compelssimple
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have compelledperfect
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has compelledperfect
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am compellingprogressive
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are compellingprogressive
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is compellingprogressive
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have been compellingperfect progressive
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has been compellingperfect progressive
Past
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compelledsimple
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had compelledperfect
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was compellingprogressive
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were compellingprogressive
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had been compellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compel
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English compellen, from Anglo-French or directly from Latin compellere “to crowd, force,” equivalent to com- com- + pellere “to push, drive”
Explanation
Compel means to force or drive someone to do something. Even if you don't like toast, when you visit the toast-eating natives of Shrintakook Island, you'll be compelled to eat it, or they will not trust you. You don't want to be compelled to go to a classical music concert if you'd rather listen to rap. School officials might be upset if a winter storm compels them to cancel classes, but you'd be okay with that. A compelling mystery forces you to pay attention because you want to find out "whodunit."
Vocabulary lists containing compel
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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The Bill of Rights
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Krishnan plans to introduce legislation to compel the department to assess the proposal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Some countries - like the UK - are exploring the idea of mandating some kind of "kill switch" that could compel AI firms to pull the plug on models if things get out of hand.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
He instructed Southern postmasters to record and publicize the names of even individual subscribers to abolitionist newspapers to encourage intimidation by their neighbors and perhaps even compel them to leave the South.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
The order could govern federal usage; it could not compel Canada or the rest of the world to play along.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
The idea was to make them want to be going out into the country at every available opportunity, and so compel them to consume transport.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
But the luminous interior, designed by a man of such profound piety that he was known as “God’s architect,” compels awe even in those devoid of religious belief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
It’s not just their goony sense of humor that compels them to make silly intro videos and do funny accents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
A subpoena compels a party to release specified internal documents or information.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
It is, as yet, a dud — a $2,000 slot machine that pays out a Community Note dressed as a verdict, in a process that compels nothing and binds no one.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
Here it is to be noted that a prince must avoid ever joining forces with one more powerful than himself to injure others, unless necessity compels you, as was mentioned above.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Anderson's data readings improved significantly as the season developed, which compelled the club's scouts to watch him on a regular basis.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
"I have always loved creation and literature. I can't see why I would feel compelled to use a machine," he told Libération newspaper.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
All her life, Beatty said, she has felt compelled to stand up for her rights, especially as a woman of color.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
You may sense what I’m talking about whenever you’re compelled to answer the “ba-dee-ya” call in Earth Wind & Fire’s “September.”
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
But within four years Jefferson had compelled the Osage to relinquish their territory between the Arkansas River and the Missouri River.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
That ability to hold seemingly opposing ideas at once became one of the most compelling threads running through the festival.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Without a compelling earnings story, they are left exposed to the squeezed consumer and an economy increasingly dependent on AI-related spending and investment.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026
As investors prepare for Micron Technology’s latest quarterly results, one analyst says that more compelling opportunities lie further ahead.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
On Thursday Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize-winning computer scientist who helped create AI and has grown concerned at its dangers, was far more compelling on CNN.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
None of this was what a corporate lawyer did, and for this reason I found it compelling.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
