Word of the Day 6.24.9

impel

im·pel (m-pl)

tr.v. im·pelled, im·pel·ling, im·pels

1. To urge to action through moral pressure; drive: I was impelled by events to take a stand.

2. To drive forward; propel.


[Middle English impellen, from Latin impellere : in-, against; see in-2 + pellere, to drive; see pel-5 in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Verb

1.

impel – urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate

cause, do, make – give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally; “cause a commotion”; “make a stir”; “cause an accident”

2.

impel – cause to move forward with force; “Steam propels this ship”

flip – move with a flick or light motion

rocket – propel with a rocket

carry – propel or give impetus to; “The sudden gust of air propelled the ball to the other side of the fence”

kick – drive or propel with the foot

pole, punt – propel with a pole; “pole barges on the river”; “We went punting in Cambridge”

hit – cause to move by striking; “hit a ball”

throw – propel through the air; “throw a frisbee”

drive – push, propel, or press with force; “Drive a nail into the wall”

launch – propel with force; “launch the space shuttle”; “Launch a ship”

catapult – shoot forth or launch, as if from a catapult; “the enemy catapulted rocks towards the fort”

send off, project – throw, send, or cast forward; “project a missile”

loft – propel through the air; “The rocket lofted the space shuttle into the air”

move, displace – cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; “Move those boxes into the corner, please”; “I’m moving my money to another bank”; “The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on June 24, 2009 by admin

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