impel

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɪmˈpɛl/ UK /ɪmˈpɛl/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like impale /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Meanings

1

verb
to drive or urge forward; to compel to act

A sense of duty impelled him to volunteer.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to drive or urge forward;... drive compel propel urge spur prompt push

Opposites

deter restrain discourage hinder

Word family

Derived forms impellerimpellent

Related forms compel propel expel repel pulse

Simplified etymology

Impel entered English in the late Middle Ages and goes back to Latin pellere, “to drive,” with the etymological sense “drive towards.”

Etymology

From Latin impellere ('to push, drive forward'), from in- ('into') + pellere ('to push, drive').

impellere Latin pellere Latin *pelh₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# impel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɪmˈpɛl/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪmˈpɛl/

## Meanings
1. to drive or urge forward; to compel to act

## Examples
- A sense of duty impelled him to volunteer.

## Synonyms
- drive
- compel
- propel
- urge
- spur
- prompt
- push

## Antonyms
- deter
- restrain
- discourage
- hinder

## Derived Forms
- impeller
- impellent

## Related Forms
- compel
- propel
- expel
- repel
- pulse

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: impellere
- Root: pellere
- Root: *pelh₂-

## Etymology
From Latin impellere ('to push, drive forward'), from in- ('into') + pellere ('to push, drive').

## AI Etymology
impel comes from Latin impellere ('to push, drive forward'), from in- ('into') + pellere ('to push, drive'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the verb sense is "to drive or urge forward; to compel to act", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as compel, propel, expel, and repel, and in derivatives such as impeller and impellent. Its semantic neighborhood includes drive, compel, propel, and urge, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin impellere, Latin pellere, and Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂-.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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