IMPEL (impelled, impelling)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: impelled    , impelling   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does impel mean? 

• IMPEL (verb)
  The verb IMPEL has 2 senses:

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

2. cause to move forward with force

  Familiarity information: IMPEL used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• IMPEL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they impel    ... he / she / it impels   
Past simple: impelled   
Past participle: impelled   
-ing form: impelling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

force; impel

Hypernyms (to "impel" is one way to...):

cause; do; make (give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They impel him to write the letter

Derivation:

impulsion (a force that moves something along)

impulsive (having the power of driving or impelling)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to move forward with force

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

impel; propel

Context example:

Steam propels this ship

Hypernyms (to "impel" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "impel"):

flip (move with a flick or light motion)

rocket (propel with a rocket)

carry (propel or give impetus to)

kick (drive or propel with the foot)

pole; punt (propel with a pole)

hit (cause to move by striking)

throw (propel through the air)

drive (push, propel, or press with force)

launch (propel with force)

catapult (shoot forth or launch, as if from a catapult)

project; send off (throw, send, or cast forward)

loft (propel through the air)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

impellent (forcing forward or onward; impelling)

impeller (the blade of a rotor (as in the compressor of a jet engine))

impulsion (the act of applying force suddenly)

 Context examples 

She was impelled to look at her husband, and she saw the sternness with which he watched her.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

This was the world, the universe itself, its bounds so near one felt impelled to reach out both arms and push them back.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

It was evident to me that he thought he might bring trouble to the roof he was under, and that that was the motive which impelled him to go.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was this, and not the mere story, that impelled Martin to write it.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

So complex is the human spirit that it can itself scarce discern the deep springs which impel it to action.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Injuries resulting when a person is struck by particles impelled with violent force from an explosion.

(Blast Injury, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

He was impelled to do them, and did not reason about them at all.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Eleanor seemed now impelled into resolution and speech.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Every instinct of his nature would have impelled him to dash wildly away, had there not suddenly and for the first time arisen in him another and counter instinct.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Every thing was to take its natural course, however, neither impelled nor assisted.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)