Impel

Quick meaning: Impel is a verb meaning (transitive) To urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.

Meaning

(transitive) To urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.

More Meanings

1. (transitive) To drive forward; to propel an object, to provide an impetus for motion or action.

Example Sentences

The wind impelled the kayaks toward the shore.

Concern for the common good should impel us to find ways to overcome the devilish impact of these disastrous policies […]

I feel impelled to reply to Roger Henry's letter about my article on being denied an apartment. I truly resent any insinuation that I "slunk back into that rotting old closet."

She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.

Word Forms

• impels
• impelling
• impelled

Synonyms for impel

Depending on context, synonyms include propel, actuate, motivate, abet, goose, send.

Antonyms for impel

Common opposites include expel, propel, restrain, retard, behedge, blunt.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include propel, force, push, incite, incitement, actuate.

Related Dictionary Tools