verb
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to urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate
-
to push, drive, or force into motion
Related Words
See compel.
Other Word Forms
- impellent noun
- unimpelled adjective
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”; pulse 1
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.
A sense of duty, rooted for many in a profound Christian faith, impelled each to take extraordinary risks.
Wilzek, the novel’s unlikely hero, does look closely, and what he sees impels him to take a moral stand.
From Los Angeles Times
The rules of Washington would normally impel a person at Esper’s level to seek cover for his actions.
From Salon
At Lawson’s urging, they refused bail, which impelled hundreds of other students to join the crusade against segregated interstate travel.
From Los Angeles Times
“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
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.
