as in to coerce
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compel
Still, the trepidation has not pushed key senators as far as to threaten to compel Musk or DOGE officials to appear for congressional hearings, a frequent recourse lawmakers rely upon for information gathering.
—
Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Feb. 2025
That’s what compelled Ted Sells to make a five-hour drive from his home in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, to a 12-hour flight through Calgary and Dallas to get to Boston for the title game.
—Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025
The complaint asks that the companies be compelled to make public statements about the dangers of vaping.
—Alyce McFadden, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
But after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Slava was compelled to devote much of his energy to the defense of his country, training soldiers in weaponry.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compel
Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 25 Feb. 2025
That’s what compelled Ted Sells to make a five-hour drive from his home in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, to a 12-hour flight through Calgary and Dallas to get to Boston for the title game.
—Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025
The complaint asks that the companies be compelled to make public statements about the dangers of vaping.
—Alyce McFadden, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
But after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Slava was compelled to devote much of his energy to the defense of his country, training soldiers in weaponry.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compel
Verb
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Trump’s rocky relationship with Zelensky goes back five years—to when Trump first held up military assistance Congress had authorized for Ukraine to coerce Zelensky into investigating his political rival Joe Biden.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
5 Mar. 2025
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A week later, the White House used the threat of tariffs to coerce Mexico into dispatching thousands of additional troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to combat fentanyl smuggling.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Tracking the Trump administration’s rollback of climate and environmental policies can seem like being forced through a wormhole back in time.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
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The episode opened right where the last one left off — Britney was forced to decide Danielle’s fate at the roundtable after Danielle and Ivar tied in votes at the penultimate banishment ceremony.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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While the city is legally obligated to make the $175 million pension payment, the majority of staff covered by the municipal pension fund are current or former nonteacher CPS staff.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
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On one hand, there's a series of boring meet-and-greets Fisk is obligated to make.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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While attempting to oblige those chants, the front office was largely paralyzed this winter.—
Daniel R. Epstein,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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On the day after President Trump won another term in the United States, Mr. Scholz obliged, forcing early elections in the process.—
Jim Tankersley,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The other victims include the 26-year-old driving the BMW, his 23-year-old passenger and the front passenger of the Camry.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2025
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Decision-makers have an opportunity to ensure that the very tools designed to drive revenue don’t end up stifling creativity.—
Seth Yudof,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compel. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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