as in to coerce
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compel
However, there’s no way to compel states to do so, and not all have caught up.
—
Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 18 Dec. 2024
If the department refuses to comply with the subpoena, the committee may seek judicial relief to compel Roberson's testimony.
—Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Her mother didn't want Dutt to be raised with the stigma of being known as a Dalit of the Bhangi sub-caste, whose people were long compelled to remove excrement from latrine pits.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
The Cabinet was then compelled to revoke the martial law before dawn on Dec. 4, ending Yoon's six hour long military rule.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compel 
Kavitha Surana, ProPublica, 18 Dec. 2024
If the department refuses to comply with the subpoena, the committee may seek judicial relief to compel Roberson's testimony.
—Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Her mother didn't want Dutt to be raised with the stigma of being known as a Dalit of the Bhangi sub-caste, whose people were long compelled to remove excrement from latrine pits.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
The Cabinet was then compelled to revoke the martial law before dawn on Dec. 4, ending Yoon's six hour long military rule.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compel
Verb
-
Chief Critic Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel criticized the Teamsters in a statement shared with Forbes, and accused the group of threatening, intimidating, and attempting to coerce Amazon employees to join them.Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
-
And that, according to the district attorney, is an attempt to coerce or influence the public or its citizenry or an industry towards change, which is included in the terrorism charge.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Something else to watch on a day when the temperature is forecast to be about 60 degrees at game time: The ‘Horns have forced multiple turnovers in eight straight games and are tied with Notre Dame for the nation’s lead with 28 TOs gained, though the Irish have played one less game.Tom Layberger, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
-
The law would require ByteDance to sell the app or force Google, Apple and other platforms to stop supporting the app in the United States.Kristian Burt, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The court ruled the employer wasn’t obligated to remind an employee specifically who was listed as beneficiary.Bob Carlson, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
-
The judge replied that Franco is obligated to continue with the trial schedule and his conditional release from detainment.Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The scoreboard operator obliged but restarted the clock after several seconds had elapsed.Ben Standig, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
-
Surprisingly, Heavenly obliges, showing a rare moment of effort in bridging the divide.Shelby Stewart, Essence, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The offensive has caused widespread destruction and hunger and driven around 90% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes.Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Dec. 2024
-
The 58-year-old man driving the taxi hit a 9-year-old boy and five women, ages 19 to 49, an NYPD spokesperson said.Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near compel
Cite this Entry
“Compel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compel. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share