impel

IPA/ɪmˈpel/
KK[ˌɪmpˈɛl]IPA/ɪmˈpel/

impel — verb

  • impelpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • impelshe / she / it
  • impelledpast simple
  • impelling-ing form

1. if a strong feeling or belief impels someone, it pushes that person so powerfull

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

if a strong feeling or belief impels someone, it pushes that person so powerfully from inside that they feel they have no choice but to act.

Example

A deep sense of fairness impelled Manuela to speak up at the school board meeting.

impel + object + to-infinitive (driven by inner conviction)

Hunger and worry impelled the Okonkwo family to leave their village before dawn.

subject is an emotion or condition, not a person

Common collocations
  • impel someone to act
  • feel impelled to
  • impelled by curiosity / duty / fear
Synonyms
  • compel

    stronger external pressure; often legal or physical, not just emotional

  • drive

    more general and informal; works for any sustained motivation

  • prompt

    weaker; suggests a trigger rather than an irresistible push

Antonyms
  • deter

    to stop someone from acting through fear or doubt

  • discourage

    milder; to reduce someone's willingness to act

Grammar Patterns

impel + object + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Subject is usually an abstract force — a feeling, belief, duty, or pressure — rather than a deliberate human agent. Frequently passive ('felt impelled to…').

Common Mistakes

My boss impelled me to finish the report by Friday.
My boss pressured me to finish the report by Friday.
a person giving an order uses 'pressure' or 'force'; 'impel' takes an inner feeling or moral pressure as subject.

2. to make a physical object move ahead by applying force to it, the way wind moves

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to make a physical object move ahead by applying force to it, the way wind moves a sailboat or an engine moves a car.

Example

A steady south wind impelled the small fishing boat toward the rocky shore.

impel + object + directional phrase (physical force)

Twin propellers impelled the old ferry across the wide gray lake.

subject is a mechanical force (propeller, engine, current)

Common collocations
  • impel forward
  • impel toward
  • wind / current impels
Synonyms
  • propel

    the everyday word for this meaning; less formal than impel

  • drive

    general; can apply to mechanical or natural force

  • push

    plain, neutral; covers any direct physical force

Antonyms
  • halt

    to bring forward motion to a complete stop

Grammar Patterns

impel + object (+ prepositional phrase of direction)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is a physical force (wind, engine, current) acting on a concrete object, not an emotion acting on a person. This sense is mostly literary or technical.

Common Mistakes

The runner impelled herself across the finish line.
The runner pushed herself across the finish line.
for a person moving their own body, use 'push' or 'propel'; 'impel' in this sense needs an external physical force as subject.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four push someone to act, but the source and strength of the push differ. 'Impel' is the most internal: a feeling, belief, or sense of duty rises so strongly inside the person that action follows almost by itself; it is also the most formal and is often passive ('felt impelled to'). 'Compel' is the strongest external pressure — a law, threat, or undeniable circumstance forces compliance, whether the person likes it or not. 'Drive' is broader and more neutral; it covers any sustained motivation, from ambition driving a student to study to anger driving someone to shout. 'Prompt' is the weakest: a single trigger leads to a single response, often quick and small, as when a question prompts an answer. So a sermon may impel her to volunteer, the court may compel her to testify, ambition may drive her to apply, and a kind word may prompt her to smile.

impel ↗compel ↗drive ↗prompt ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • feel impelled to
  • be impelled by

Prepositions

  • impelled by
  • impelled toward
  • impelled into

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'impellere', built from 'in-' meaning 'on, against' and 'pellere' meaning 'to push or strike'. The literal sense — to push something physically forward — entered English in the fifteenth century, and over time the figurative sense of pushing a person inwardly to act became the dominant modern use.