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
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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:
Posting on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: "We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed."
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
What would compel a consultant to dismiss signs that a candidate has contemptible views on sexual assault?
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
OTTAWA—Canada will abandon efforts to compel foreign streamers to make mandatory financial contributions to the domestic entertainment industry, according to a court filing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The lawsuit says Winters seeks financial damages and for the court to compel OpenAI to implement "reasonable safeguards that protect other users from harm".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The instant her voice broke off, ceasing to compel my attention, my belief, I felt the basic insincerity of what she had said.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The written word compels you to think and a heightened conscience is one of the essential elements required to bring about change.
From Barron's ● May 21, 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
Shameful pride compels me to say there are only about 300 players in the Hall of Fame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
The law also compels AI to send break reminders every three hours to users under 18.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
We stick close to the walls as we approach, but the frenzy from the blackout compels the guards to rush from their posts to secure the Mess and the Hub.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Today we review some results from a big week of primaries and explore what could have possibly compelled Jeanine Pirro to tell the truth in a legal filing.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026
You cannot be compelled to serve as an executor, even if you’re named in someone’s will.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
So in effect, once the body has been heavier, the brain comes to treat that higher weight as the new normal – a level it feels compelled to defend.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
He invoked the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, which says no individual can be "compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
She told him that Proteus, the wise old god of the sea, could show him how to prevent another such disaster, but that he would do so only if compelled.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
A new study published in Frontiers in Mammal Science presents the first compelling evidence that at least some cynodonts may have been viviparous -- meaning they gave birth to live offspring.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
The problem was that the 37-year-old assemblywoman couldn’t quite manage to assemble a compelling narrative from all those memorable, resonant elements.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
But she also knows it’s that journey of understanding that makes “Ted Lasso” so compelling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“If you listen to earnings calls from most U.S. regulated utilities, they’ll mostly be about AI and data centers. In Europe, we find a very compelling range of long-term drivers,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
Langley liked to think of itself as a place that eschewed bureaucracy, where an idea from a cafeteria worker could get a fair hearing if it were compelling enough.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
