impel
Americanverb
-
to urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate
-
to push, drive, or force into motion
Synonym Usage
See compel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
impelsimple
-
impelssimple
-
have impelledperfect
-
has impelledperfect
-
am impellingprogressive
-
are impellingprogressive
-
is impellingprogressive
-
have been impellingperfect progressive
-
has been impellingperfect progressive
Past
-
impelledsimple
-
had impelledperfect
-
was impellingprogressive
-
were impellingprogressive
-
had been impellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of impel
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English impellen, from Latin impellere “to strike against, set in motion,” from im- im- 1 + pellere “to strike, move”; cf. pulse 1
Explanation
Impel means to force to move forward. A person sleep walking might move as if impelled by a force beyond their control. Loneliness might impel you to talk to someone you don't know. Impel derives from the Latin in- "toward" + pellere "to drive," which also brings us compel "to force" and propel "to drive forward." The boy was propelled by his fears, but when he said fear of bullies impelled him to stay home on Halloween, his mother compelled him to dress and go outside.
Vocabulary lists containing impel
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mahatma Gandhi's "Quit India" Speech
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Directly employing subcontractors could also impel Amazon to carry more expensive insurance coverage, which would raise delivery costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
John Bulkeley, the Wager’s gunner, a weapons expert and “instinctive leader” whose Bible-inspired narrative gifts would impel him to write an indelible account of events.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2023
Where Mehretu saturates space, Sorey vacates it, yet both painter and composer offer vital examples of how to create at full scale when the times impel others to reduce their ambition.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
I therefore Proclaim that a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that I should declare the causes which impel me to these opinions.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 12, 2021
He saw enough in her face to impel him to take her hand and hold it while he said his lingering good night “Will you go to the races again?” he asked.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Wilzek, the novel’s unlikely hero, does look closely, and what he sees impels him to take a moral stand.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025
Instead, she approaches the exercises to test her fitness with a guilelessness that at first confounds him — but that ultimately impels him to confront his own tumultuous existence.
From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2021
The inspiration gained from that view might carry us well beyond the statistical forecast that impels the fatalistic alternative.
From Scientific American ● May 12, 2021
Not just because it inspires, but also because it impels.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2018
Those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid through excessive humility; and those whom imperfection or age debars from preaching, and yet rashness impels to it.
From A Source Book of Medi?val History Documents Illustrative of European Life and Institutions from the German Invasions to the Renaissance by Frederic Austin Ogg
A sense of duty, rooted for many in a profound Christian faith, impelled each to take extraordinary risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
What impelled him, and what does it mean?
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2025
“It was the experience in that space and the vastness of it and the way his art lived in space,” said Wenders, addressing what impelled him to jump-start the film after a 2019 visit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
The engineer said he felt impelled to speak out and provide the internal documents because “the safety of the public outweighs the inconvenience to the airlines to make money.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2023
Perhaps it was the worry, the haste with which they had to move to get away, the fact she felt impelled to urge them to move faster and faster; anyway, her head began to ache.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
One of the pleasures of writing for me is to discover what is it that is impelling me to engage with these characters.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2022
“Get at Me Dog” is an impelling and incendiary piece of music, like four minutes of a bomb going off.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2021
In a flash, rain poured and wind whipped at once, blowing trash onto the field and impelling a rapid response from the grounds crew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2019
Throughout the set, Mr. Raghavan fed his own chancy energy into the mix, playing lines of lacing beauty and impelling the others to put their weight forward, onto the balls of their feet.
From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2017
He was excited and something was impelling him to become more excited.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
