Impel

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ɪmˈpÉ›l/
• Rhymes: -É›l

Origin

From Latin impellō

Full definition of impel

Verb

1. (transitive) To urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation (contrast with propel, to compel or drive extrinsically).
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 2, 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, â€¦—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.
2. (transitive) To drive forward; to propel an object.

Synonyms

• (to drive forward) propel

Antonyms

• expel

Related terms

• impellent
• impeller
• impulse