compel

present (v1)

compel

past (v2)

compelled

past participle (v3)

compelled

present participle

compelling

3rd person singular

compels

1. 1.To overpower; to subdue.

   • She had one of those perfect faces, which irresistibly compel the soul of a man.

2. 2.To force, constrain, or coerce.

   • Logic compels the wise, while fools feel compelled by emotions.
   • Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.
   • Wolsey […] compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.

3. 3.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.

4. 4.To have a strong, irresistible force (on someone or something).

Overall

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Word family

• compelling