compel

com·pel  (km-pl)

tr.v. com·pelled, com·pel·ling, com·pels

1. To force, drive, or constrain: Duty compelled the soldiers to volunteer for the mission.

2. To necessitate or pressure by force; exact: An energy crisis compels fuel conservation. See Synonyms at force.

3. To exert a strong, irresistible force on; sway: "The land, in a certain, very real way, compels the minds of the people" Barry Lopez.

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[Middle English compellen, from Latin compellere : com-, com- + pellere, to drive; see pel-⁵ in Indo-European roots.]

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com·pella·ble adj.

com·pella·bly adv.

com·peller n.

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compel

Verb

[-pelling, -pelled]

1. to force (to be or do something)

2. to obtain by force: his performance compelled attention [Latin com- together + pellere to drive]

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	compel - force somebody to do something; "We compel all students to fill out this form" obligate, oblige force, thrust - impose urgently, importunately, or inexorably; "She forced her diet fads on him" cause, induce, stimulate, make, get, have - cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner; "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa" walk - make walk; "He walks the horse up the mountain"; "Walk the dog twice a day" coerce, force, hale, pressure, squeeze - to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"; "He squeezed her for information" clamor - compel someone to do something by insistent clamoring; "They clamored the mayor into building a new park" condemn - compel or force into a particular state or activity; "His devotion to his sick wife condemned him to a lonely existence" shame - compel through a sense of shame; "She shamed him into making amends" enforce, implement, apply - ensure observance of laws and rules; "Apply the rules to everyone"; impose, enforce - compel to behave in a certain way; "Social relations impose courtesy"
	2.	compel - necessitate or exact; "the water shortage compels conservation" necessitate, need, require, call for, demand, postulate, involve, ask, take - require as useful, just, or proper; "It takes nerve to do what she did"; "success usually requires hard work"; "This job asks a lot of patience and skill"; "This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice"; "This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert"; "This intervention does not postulate a patient's consent"

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compel

verb force, make, urge, enforce, railroad (informal) drive, oblige, constrain, hustle (slang) necessitate, coerce, bulldoze (informal) impel, dragoon

Translations

compel [kəmˈpɛl] vt → obligar

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compel [kəmˈpɛl] vt → contraindre, obliger

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compel [kəmˈpɛl] vt → zwingen

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compel [kəmˈpɛl] vt → costringere, obbligare