im·pel

[im-pel]
verb (used with object), im·pelled, im·pel·ling.
1.
to drive or urge forward; press on; incite or constrain to action.
2.
to drive or cause to move onward; propel; impart motion to.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English impellen < Latin impellere to strike against, set in motion (transitive), equivalent to im- im-1 + pellere to strike, move (something); akin to pulse1

Related forms
un·im·pelled, adjective

Can be confused: 1. compel, impel (see synonym study at compel) ; 2. compelled, impelled.

Synonyms
1. actuate. See compel.

Antonyms
1. restrain.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Impelling is always a great word to know.
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a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
impel (ɪmˈpɛl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb , -pels, -pelling, -pelled
1.  to urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate
2.  to push, drive, or force into motion
 
[C15: from Latin impellere to push against, drive forward, from im- (in) + pellere to drive, push, strike]
 
im'pellent
 
—n, —adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

impel
1490, from L. impellere "to push, strike against, drive forward, urge on," from in- "into" + pellere "to push, drive."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
We cannot dispense with the unconscious hostility as the constant and really impelling motive.
The strategic plan is the road map for impelling continuous improvement in our organization and ensuring our future.
In fact, you are doing something of impelling interest only to you and a group of people.
Profit is the impelling power of the one-praise, of the other.
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