Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To urge to action through moral pressure; drive.
- transitive verb To drive forward; propel.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To drive or urge forward; press on; incite or constrain to action in any way: as, steam is the impelling force of a locomotive.
- Synonyms Prompt, Induce, etc. (see
actuate ); to influence, push on, force on, move, lead, set on. (See list underincite .)
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To drive or urge forward or on; to press on; to incite to action or motion in any way.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
urge a person; topress on; toincite toaction ormotion via intrinsic motivation. (contrast withpropel , to compel or drive extrinsically) - verb transitive To
drive forward ; topropel an object.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb cause to move forward with force
- verb urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Your country's calls, your excitement, honour and glory, again impel, and undauntedly and cheerfully you expose that life which the night before you fancied was of value.
The Autobiography of Liuetenant-General Sir Harry Smith, Baronet of Aliwal on the Sutlej, G. C. B. 1903
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Whether his new emphasis on investment, along with restructured corporate taxes, will actually impel our multinational corporations to produce their goods at home is by no means clear, as I argue in my op-ed column on tomorrow's page.
Dr. Win the War Harold Meyerson 2011
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Only by recognizing the magnitude of this tragedy can we impel the world to rise up and say more forcefully than it already has: 'This is not okay.
Rabbi Steve Gutow: What Has Gilad Shalit Missed and What Have We Experienced? Rabbi Steve Gutow 2011
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When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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Allowance of Rate differention will always impel inflationary price increases.
Prescribing Capitalism, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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If you represented the respective trademark owners, which if any of these would impel you to write a letter?
Seen around towns Rebecca Tushnet 2009
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In other words the faster you go thru that muck, the deeper the object going to impel and damage your ATV!!
Ice-Out by Ice Road: Fishing Backcountry Manitoba by ATV 2009
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Perhaps Opechancanough thought his masterstroke would impel the whites to withdraw.
Between War and Peace Col. Matthew Moten 2011
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In other words the faster you go thru that muck, the deeper the object going to impel and damage your ATV!!
Ice-Out by Ice Road: Fishing Backcountry Manitoba by ATV 2009
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But remember, "the stars impel, they do not compel."
Jean's Knitting Jean 2009
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