i Register
In some senses, compel is marked as archaic, literally. Watch for register when choosing this word.
compel
/kəmˈpɛl/
verb 5
Collocations
4VERB + COMPEL
faces, pay, won't
COMPEL + NOUN
adhere, extremes, others, soul
PREP.
in
ADV.
irresistibly
Definitions
verb
1
To drive together, round up.
The shepherds compelled the stray sheep into the fold as night began to fall.
2
To overpower; to subdue.
She had one of those perfect faces, which irresistibly compel the soul of a man.
3
To force, constrain, or coerce.
Logic compels the wise, while fools feel compelled by emotions.
Congratulations, your courage compels respect.
4
To forcefully or powerfully motivate (a course of action).
As the novel progresses, it picks up a propulsive energy, the kind that compels you to keep reading straight through to the end.
5
To have a strong, irresistible force (on someone or something).
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
The shepherds compelled the stray sheep into the fold as night began to fall.
Wiktionary02
She had one of those perfect faces, which irresistibly compel the soul of a man.
Wiktionary03
Logic compels the wise, while fools feel compelled by emotions.
Wiktionary04
If you want to be respected by others the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.
Tatoeba · #91875505
Hunger is a very powerful human instinct which can compel us to extremes of behaviour.
Tatoeba · #520661806
I compel you to adhere to our master's teachings.
Tatoeba · #6687029Usage Notes
Your note
not saved0 chars