1
as in pushes
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 drives
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 propels
This fifth entry, while largely revolving around the past and the origins of Treadstone — including surprising ties to Bourne’s dad (Gregg Henry) — also propels the story into contemporary technological territory.
—
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
These are essential for controlling the whip-like motion that propels sperm forward.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
The rest of the cast includes Shin Hyun-been (Cinderella at 2AM) as Jung Young-hee, Im Sung-jae (Law and the City) as a seemingly nice factory owner and Han Ji-hyun (No Gain, No Love) as the reporter whose curiosity propels the film’s plot.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The opera goes to the heart of questions and debates over crime and punishment, and Heggie’s score propels it forward in an eloquent, deeply moving sound world.
—Georgia Rowe, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
White Out possesses the quest element that propels many a recovery memoir—except that in Clune’s case, the quest for sobriety is until the end consistently subordinated to the quest to score more drugs.
—Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
The combination of the Starship, which could someday carry astronauts and cargo to the moon and Mars, and the Super Heavy booster, the rocket that propels the Starship in space, is more than 400 feet tall, made of stainless steel, and is being designed by SpaceX to be fully reusable.
—Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2025
The internet propels you into all of this meaningless, trivial BS, right?
—Lucy Handley, Big Think, 25 Aug. 2025
Last month, viewership of the 2020 Netflix docuseries based on the book jumped 430 percent, a spike that often propels source material back up the charts.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Sep. 2025
These are essential for controlling the whip-like motion that propels sperm forward.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
The rest of the cast includes Shin Hyun-been (Cinderella at 2AM) as Jung Young-hee, Im Sung-jae (Law and the City) as a seemingly nice factory owner and Han Ji-hyun (No Gain, No Love) as the reporter whose curiosity propels the film’s plot.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The opera goes to the heart of questions and debates over crime and punishment, and Heggie’s score propels it forward in an eloquent, deeply moving sound world.
—Georgia Rowe, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
White Out possesses the quest element that propels many a recovery memoir—except that in Clune’s case, the quest for sobriety is until the end consistently subordinated to the quest to score more drugs.
—Scott Stossel, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2025
The combination of the Starship, which could someday carry astronauts and cargo to the moon and Mars, and the Super Heavy booster, the rocket that propels the Starship in space, is more than 400 feet tall, made of stainless steel, and is being designed by SpaceX to be fully reusable.
—Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2025
The internet propels you into all of this meaningless, trivial BS, right?
—Lucy Handley, Big Think, 25 Aug. 2025
Last month, viewership of the 2020 Netflix docuseries based on the book jumped 430 percent, a spike that often propels source material back up the charts.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propels
Verb
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Built as a modern Mega Drive (or Genesis) game with a cartridge release planned next year, Earthion really pushes what that console can do.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have pulled off a breakthrough that pushes the boundaries of quantum physics into new territory.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Travelers plug in their dates and destinations, and owners of more than 2,000 aircraft bid for the business in real time, creating a competitive environment that drives down costs.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Sep. 2025
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Create a review system that forces brutal honesty and drives real change.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But soon the film reaches its first binge-eating scene, in which Maddie violently shoves fistfuls of food into her mouth in a dark kitchen.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
6 Sep. 2025
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Sue threatens to call the police and an emotional Santana then shoves her backward into a bookshelf in the corner of her office before appearing slightly surprised at her own behavior and leaving.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray has confirmed plans to pursue the death penalty, meaning Robinson will remain in custody without bail as the case moves toward trial.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Conventional engines burn fuel in a steady process, where the flame front (the area at which combustion occurs) moves smoothly through a propellant mixture to produce continuous thrust.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The system, created by Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan, uses AI and sensors to detect when a crash is imminent and activates automatically if the plane is below 3,000 feet.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
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Neuroscience confirms that a rival’s failure actually activates the ventral striatum, the brain’s pleasure center, rivaling the thrill of a team’s success.—
Richard Menger MD MPA,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Propels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propels. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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