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propel

[ pruh-pel ]
/ prəˈpɛl /
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See synonyms for: propel / propelled / propelling / propels on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), pro·pelled, pro·pel·ling.
to drive, or cause to move, forward or onward: to propel a boat by rowing.
to impel or urge onward: Urgent need of money propelled him to take a job.
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Origin of propel

1400–50; late Middle English propellen to expel <Latin prōpellere to drive forward, equivalent to prō-pro-1 + pellere to drive

OTHER WORDS FROM propel

un·pro·pelled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use propel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for propel

propel
/ (prəˈpɛl) /

verb -pels, -pelling or -pelled
(tr) to impel, drive, or cause to move forwards

Word Origin for propel

C15: from Latin prōpellere to drive onwards, from pro- 1 + pellere to drive
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
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