impel

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
9
Words With Friends
12
Letters
5
Pronunciation
/ɪmˈpɛl/ (US)

Definition of impel

2 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.
    “She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.”
    “I feel impelled to reply to Roger Henry's letter about my article on being denied an apartment. I truly resent any insinuation that I "slunk back into that rotting old closet."”
    “Concern for the common good should impel us to find ways to overcome the devilish impact of these disastrous policies […]”
See all 2 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.
    “She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.”
    “I feel impelled to reply to Roger Henry's letter about my article on being denied an apartment. I truly resent any insinuation that I "slunk back into that rotting old closet."”
    “Concern for the common good should impel us to find ways to overcome the devilish impact of these disastrous policies […]”
  2. (transitive)To drive forward; to propel an object, to provide an impetus for motion or action.
    “The wind impelled the kayaks toward the shore.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English impellen, borrowed from Latin impellō.

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

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