1
as in to push
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 to move
to set or keep in motion
the aircraft is propelled by a pair of turboprop engines
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of propel
In his efforts to propel Trump to victory, Musk spent around $300 million while also stumping at rallies and online for his preferred candidate.
—
Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 14 May 2025
Secondly, the mortgage lock-in effect is now beginning to ease, which is propelling a massive backlog of new listings to the market.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Each is designed to propel the ball a certain distance at a particular loft angle and height.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
Petrovic was not trying to propel the puck with his skate.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for propel
Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 14 May 2025
Secondly, the mortgage lock-in effect is now beginning to ease, which is propelling a massive backlog of new listings to the market.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
Each is designed to propel the ball a certain distance at a particular loft angle and height.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
Petrovic was not trying to propel the puck with his skate.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for propel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propel
Verb
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As Nuno pointed out, the player of the season award could reasonably have been renamed the ‘team of the season award’ during a campaign in which Forest followed up back-to-back fights against relegation by pushing for Champions League qualification.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Some of the administration's pressure tactics: threatening to take away Harvard's non-profit status, freezing $3 billion in federal grant dollars, barring the university from enrolling foreign students, and pushing Congress to increase taxes on university endowments.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
27 May 2025
Verb
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If the execution moves forward this time, Smith will be the first inmate executed in Tennessee since 2020 and the 19th in the U.S. this year.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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The new kickoff rule should ease the frustrations Nixon had as a returner last year, too, since moving touchbacks to the 35-yard line will incentivize teams to kick to Nixon instead of booting it over his head again.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Despite the Timberwolves being down 16, McDaniels decided to shove Gilgeous-Alexander, sending him to the ground.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
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Four days per week, nurse anesthetist Mike O’Dell spends his 10-hour shifts sitting in a swivel chair shoved between pieces of towering, whirring operating equipment.—
Megan Sauer
Ryan Johnston,
CNBC,
22 May 2025
Verb
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Much of the innovation that drives societal progress and economic productivity does not emerge from revolutions in thought, but from the subtle extension and application of existing knowledge.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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During my visit, Leal and I drove in his vintage Jeep to 1900 Barker, a coffee shop on Lawrence’s main drag.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Scott Morrow had a solid first professional season in the AHL but looked overwhelmed at times when thrust into the NHL playoffs.—
Cory Lavalette,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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The Menendez brothers were thrust into the spotlight in the late 1980s and early 1990s for the killing of their parents.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Verb
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Take these steps to win bonus bets for basketball, baseball, hockey and other sports this weekend: Follow the links on this page to activate the welcome offer.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
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Breathing in and sighing out slowly for longer than your in breath with an open mouth can activate the vagus nerve, a crucial component of the parasympathetic nervous system.—
Paul McClure
May 24,
New Atlas,
24 May 2025
Verb
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These are questions Li rarely directly poses but which the reader is inevitably impelled to ask.—
Daphne Merkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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Powerful domestic pressures impel and constrain both countries’ foreign policy choices.—
Lee Hsien Loong,
Foreign Affairs,
4 June 2020
Cite this Entry
“Propel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propel. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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