impel

[ im-pel ]

/ ɪmˈpɛl /

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See synonyms for: impel / impelled / impelling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), im·pelled, im·pel·ling.

to drive or urge forward; press on; incite or constrain to action.

to drive or cause to move onward; propel; impart motion to.

OTHER WORDS FOR impel

1 actuate.

See synonyms for impel on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR impel

1 restrain.

See antonyms for impel on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of impel

1375–1425; late Middle English impellen<Latin impellere to strike against, set in motion (transitive), equivalent to im-im-¹ + pellere to strike, move (something); akin to pulse¹

synonym study for impel

1. See compel.

OTHER WORDS FROM impel

un·im·pelled, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH impel

compel, impel (see synonym study at compel)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use impel in a sentence

Humans in different places and times have felt impelled to overcome the limitations of pictures in communicating.
Reading, That Strange and Uniquely Human Thing - Issue 94: Evolving|Lydia Wilson|December 23, 2020|Nautilus
It seemed to me that I had scarcely closed my eyes when I dreamed that something impelled me to go to the window.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So many of the men who have sought the presidency seem impelled by a desire to compensate for something missing in themselves.
David Frum on How George H.W. Bush Was a Man of Greatness in Modesty|David Frum|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Now the GOP, impelled by ideology matched to calculation, is trying the same game again.
Tea-Fueled Republican Resistance Compels Barack Obama To Keep Running|Robert Shrum|March 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The country was impelled to act, not based on what was known, but what was feared.
New Bin Laden Reports Aren’t Enough to Clarify the Pakistan Wild Card|P.J. Crowley|April 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But like the bee, while impelled by an instinct that makes it search for sugar, it sucks in therewith its solid sustenance.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
A quick impulse that was somewhat spasmodic impelled her fingers to close in a sort of clutch upon his hand.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The characters which crowd forth from his brain are sustained and impelled by the same social waves which sustain and impel us.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The work which it does is performed by the hard substances that are impelled by the current, principally by the sand and pebbles.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
As if impelled by the voice, Lawrence turned his head and looked into the blazing eyes of Billy.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for impel

impel

/ (ɪmˈpɛl) /

verb -pels, -pelling or -pelled (tr)

to urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate

to push, drive, or force into motion

Derived forms of impel

impellent, noun, adjective

Word Origin for impel

C15: from Latin impellere to push against, drive forward, from im- (in) + pellere to drive, push, strike

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

impel

OTHER WORDS FOR impel

OPPOSITES FOR impel

Origin of impel

synonym study for impel

OTHER WORDS FROM impel

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH impel

Words related to impel

How to use impel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for impel

Derived forms of impel

Word Origin for impel