as in obligates
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
Example 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 compels
The legal agreement also compels TCH to fire multiple physicians who performed these procedures, revoke their privileges, and never hire or credential such doctors.
—
David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
The subpoena compels the NFL to produce extensive records dating back to 2020 (and earlier for some items) covering the Rooney Rule, the Offensive Assistant Mandate, Resolution JC-2A, the Accelerator Program and the Mackie Development Program.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
What compels Odysseus—and compels audiences to root for him—is his love for his wife.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026
The mystery of what living in a perpetual state of kayfabe must feel like is much of what compels me to keep up with the family’s content.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Yet the Gospel compels us to do just that.
—William E. Lori, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Perhaps that’s what compels me, somewhere in the middle of our lunch, to unmask.
—Zeba Blay, SELF, 21 Apr. 2026
Combined with Angel and Rue’s drive through the desert, Levinson seems to be pointing at the hollowness of the American Dream, which compels a person to risk their life, only to end up photographing dumb bimbos for OnlyFans.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
DeSantis has avoided saying that lawmakers should be redrawing the map for partisan gains, instead saying a looming decision from the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act compels the state to redistrict.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2026
David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 May 2026
The subpoena compels the NFL to produce extensive records dating back to 2020 (and earlier for some items) covering the Rooney Rule, the Offensive Assistant Mandate, Resolution JC-2A, the Accelerator Program and the Mackie Development Program.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
What compels Odysseus—and compels audiences to root for him—is his love for his wife.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 12 May 2026
The mystery of what living in a perpetual state of kayfabe must feel like is much of what compels me to keep up with the family’s content.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Yet the Gospel compels us to do just that.
—William E. Lori, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Perhaps that’s what compels me, somewhere in the middle of our lunch, to unmask.
—Zeba Blay, SELF, 21 Apr. 2026
Combined with Angel and Rue’s drive through the desert, Levinson seems to be pointing at the hollowness of the American Dream, which compels a person to risk their life, only to end up photographing dumb bimbos for OnlyFans.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
DeSantis has avoided saying that lawmakers should be redrawing the map for partisan gains, instead saying a looming decision from the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act compels the state to redistrict.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compels
Verb
-
Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that obligates it not to enrich uranium for military purposes.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The collective defense clause, if invoked by a member state, obligates all other members of the transatlantic alliance to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The court replaced it with a read-in version that obliges parliament to refer a panel’s findings to the impeachment committee, which is responsible for conducting a full inquiry into the hearing evidence, determining whether grounds exist to remove a sitting president.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
-
Johnson obliges, gently removing the lid.—
Elise Taylor,
Vanity Fair,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Experts have described the phenomenon as an invisible crisis with long-term humanitarian consequences — there are few official figures on the number of displaced people, who have almost no resources to turn to once violence forces them to leave.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
-
Fighting battery fires Lead-acid batteries still dominate nearly 90 percent of UPS backup systems globally, but their low power density often forces operators to install oversized battery banks to meet sudden power demand.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
In confident markets, industrial demand drives silver’s price, Anya-Gafu says.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
-
Criminalizing hemp and marijuana drives the black market and helps the cartels, not the people.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
And so, our mission – grounded in both truth and love – impels us to discern the motives that shape events, and the shifts in thought that drive human progress through higher ideals of justice, mercy, and wisdom.—
Christa Case Bryant,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compels. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
