impelled

verb

past tense of impel
1
as in drove
to set or keep in motion gasoline impels a car's engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in compelled
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of impelled Daniel’s commercial failure as a novelist impelled him to move to Los Angeles to try writing for the movies. — David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025 While Elijah had consistently depended on God up to that point, great fear impelled him to run far into the wilderness. — Cheryl Ranson, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2025 That emotional closeness was one of the driving forces that impelled me to bring this project to the screen in an exercise of deep respect for a complex memory that does not lend itself to simplification. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 19 June 2026 Sometimes the ideological passions that impelled a work into existence dissolve over time, leaving behind something that can be appreciated as art. — Vivian Yee, New York Times, 20 June 2026 While the recent protests were sparked by the social media ban, protesters said that they had been impelled by years of government corruption and failure to provide young people with economic opportunities. — Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025 Both were impelled to launch ninth-inning pushes to persuade Oscar voters that Shakespeare wasn’t really in love and Private Ryan needed serious saving. — Peter Bart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impelled
  1. drove
  2. compelled
  3. moved
  4. forced
  5. propelled
  6. coerced
  7. activated
  8. obliged
Verb
  • Jackson Merrill blasted a ball to left-center field leading off, and, two outs later, Jake Cronenworth drove in two runs with a shot to right-center.
    — Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Sure, the proliferation of plastic with lounge benefits drove more visitors to the airport lounges.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of drove
Verb
  • When Sedalia businessman Jorge Guevara saw on social media Tuesday that the Royals’ 50-50 charity raffle was going toward the American Red Cross’ earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela, he instantly was compelled to enter online.
    — Vahe Gregorian July 2, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
  • The sidewalk in front of my house had some lips and dips that could’ve compelled me to rent heavy equipment and get to work.
    — Wes Marshall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Definition of compelled
Verb
  • Kaskaskia’s dwindling number of citizens moved inland, to the center of the island.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • But when McGinley was a teen-ager, Michael became sick with AIDS and moved home to New Jersey.
    — Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
Definition of moved
Verb
  • Extreme heat has forced several communities in the Washington area to cancel or scale back their Independence Day celebrations.
    — Kyla Guilfoil, NBC news, 5 July 2026
  • The Kings forced 20 turnovers, leading to a 22-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of forced
Verb
  • Mauricio Pochettino says soccer and mystical energy propelled him out of his hometown.
    — Teo Armus, Washington Post, 1 July 2026
  • Most expected the change in ownership would send the Magpies to the top of English and European soccer in much the same way Qatar’s purchase propelled Paris Saint-Germain to new heights.
    — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of propelled
Verb
  • Enterprises that route requests between multiple models can be coerced into selecting the weakest route.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • The study was later shut down after an internal review confirmed that patients were coerced into participating.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
Definition of coerced
Verb
  • If that goes well, he could be activated during the final series before the All-Star break.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • It's also activated its voluntary load reduction program and is asking large commercial and industrial customers to cut their electricity use.
    — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of activated
Verb
  • In the Netherlands, employers are generally obliged to pay employees on sick leave 70% of their wages for up to two years.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 6 July 2026
  • Michael Hoffman aka Michael Herman Hoffman did this by resigning from the Oregon State Bar in December 2024 and requesting to be essentially disbarred in Florida, which the state Supreme Court obliged on June 25.
    — David J. Neal July 5, Miami Herald, 5 July 2026
Definition of obliged

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Cite this Entry

“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on impelled

Nglish: Translation of impelled for Spanish Speakers

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