1
as in pushing
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
playfully he propelled his rambunctious friend into the swimming pool to cool off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in driving
to set or keep in motion
the aircraft is propelled by a pair of turboprop engines
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of propelling
Brown is using his 7-footers as a turbo propelling the Knicks to its first legitimate title run in more than 50 years.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
The gravity assist maneuver will act not unlike a slingshot, propelling the spacecraft on a trajectory to arrive at the metallic main-belt asteroid Psyche in 2029, NASA explained.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Madison Dever sniped five goals, propelling Rockland to a 17-5 win over South Shore League rival East Bridgewater.
—Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Brown tried to move out the way but was struck by Garcia’s car, propelling him through the air.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
To have any chance of winning, Pratt must tap into the populist energy that is propelling him.
—Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
These elements were highlighted as propelling the company's theme parks and streaming businesses in particular.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 6 May 2026
This is the video that ends up propelling her to viral fame.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 6 May 2026
At the time, Singularity was excellent not just at bringing me up to date but also at propelling me into future technologies.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
The gravity assist maneuver will act not unlike a slingshot, propelling the spacecraft on a trajectory to arrive at the metallic main-belt asteroid Psyche in 2029, NASA explained.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Madison Dever sniped five goals, propelling Rockland to a 17-5 win over South Shore League rival East Bridgewater.
—Tyler McManus, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
Brown tried to move out the way but was struck by Garcia’s car, propelling him through the air.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
To have any chance of winning, Pratt must tap into the populist energy that is propelling him.
—Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
These elements were highlighted as propelling the company's theme parks and streaming businesses in particular.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 6 May 2026
This is the video that ends up propelling her to viral fame.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 6 May 2026
At the time, Singularity was excellent not just at bringing me up to date but also at propelling me into future technologies.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propelling
Verb
-
Rough seas and hazardous underwater conditions repeatedly delayed search efforts as crews mapped and marked the cave entrance before pushing deeper inside.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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That’s why Stuart expects the energy crisis will get worse this spring and summer, pushing gas to $5 a gallon as soon as this month.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The critical shipping passage has been a key point of the war, driving up gas prices.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
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Schauffele ranks in the tournament’s top five in both putting and driving, and has hit 28 of 42 fairways this week.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The next day she is shipped off to her first job, also within the confines of this impossibly vast building, which involves shoving film canisters down a pneumatic tube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Since last week, a video has been circulating online of a worker at a McDonald's in Southbridge shoving a handful of fries in her mouth before placing them into one of the fast food chain's red fry containers, according to NBC Boston and Boston 25 News.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
In other words, this is basically a demonic-possession story, albeit one without any actual demons; at one point, Nikki briefly starts moving backward for no reason.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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Meanwhile Varda is planning for more partnerships and a faster launch cadence, eventually moving from a launch per quarter to every other month.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The painting, surrounded by scaffolding while the church undergoes repairs, is full of thrusting diagonals and shadowy figures, a meditation on both extreme suffering and pointed indifference to it.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
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No sooner are Lucila and her brother Diego (Sergio Bautista) tearfully abandoned by their mother as children than the Spanish setting takes the wheel, thrusting us quickly and headfirst into Lucila’s young adult life nearly a decade later, without even half a second’s worth of reflection.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Coach Natalie Nakase said this week that activating the Australian point guard will be a game-time decision.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
8 May 2026
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The princess has done an amazing job at activating people's minds about the value and importance of this.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Propelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propelling. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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