as in to coerce
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compel
Despite a Justice Department memo claiming Epstein died by suicide and no client list exists, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna have launched a discharge petition to compel a House vote on full disclosure.
—
Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
It isn’t compelled by—doesn’t even recognize—the expression of irritation on my face.
—Michael W. Clune, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
House Democrats tried to force a vote to compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the files but a procedural vote to move ahead failed.
—Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 16 July 2025
Contrary to Putin’s hopes, U.S. President Donald Trump’s election in 2024 did not compel the West to abandon Kyiv.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for compel
Amanda Castro
hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025
It isn’t compelled by—doesn’t even recognize—the expression of irritation on my face.
—Michael W. Clune, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
House Democrats tried to force a vote to compel Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the files but a procedural vote to move ahead failed.
—Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 16 July 2025
Contrary to Putin’s hopes, U.S. President Donald Trump’s election in 2024 did not compel the West to abandon Kyiv.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for compel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compel
Verb
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Witnesses testified about whether the original detective and prosecutor in his case had coerced them into testifying against Bell at his 1995 trial.—
The Marshall Project,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 July 2025
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The school board responded that the materials did no more than expose the children to new ideas, and that in any case nobody was being coerced.—
Stephen L. Carter,
Mercury News,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Glaser told Variety that her shift in wardrobe allowed viewers to see that she’s taken control of her life, no longer following the gaudy colors and costumes her mother forced upon her in previous seasons.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
15 July 2025
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In Sweden, municipalities were forced to communicate offline using paper memos.—
Sindhya Valloppillil,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Legal experts warn that compliance may violate the Fair Housing Act and that landlords are not legally obligated to respond without judicial oversight.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
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However, a driver is not legally obligated to submit to a field sobriety test, pre-arrest test or cheek swab at a DUI checkpoint, according to the Law Offices of Grech and Parker in Riverside. Field sobriety tests are subjective and may not accurately measure sobriety, according to Bee archives.—
Sarah Linn
July 11,
Sacbee.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Of course, the mom was more than happy to oblige and let her son plan out the perfect slumber party.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
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And, Lustig says, politicians were happy to oblige.—
Mary Childs,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Verb
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That in turn drove low wages for workers, high staff turnover and limited capacity for children.—
Rachel Wegner,
The Tennessean,
26 July 2025
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The company eventually evolved to using trucks — Jim Janssen recalled driving the milk trucks at just 11.—
Emma George-Griffin,
Freep.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compel. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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