kəmˈpel verb
( compelled ; compelled ; compelling ; compels )
Etymology: Middle English compellen, from Middle French compeller, compellir, from Latin compellere to drive together, compel, urge, from com- + pellere to drive — more at felt
transitive verb
1. : force , drive , impel : as
a. : to force by physical necessity or evidential fact
poverty compelled him to work
— often used in the passive
so lame that he was compelled to use a cane — American Guide Series: New Hampshire
compelled to confess that the project was a failure — R.P.Warren
b. : to urge irresistibly by moral or social pressure
public opinion compelled President Lincoln to order McDowell to move forward — Dict. of American History
: force by authority, code, or custom
c. : to force by personal temperament or other subjective considerations
compelled, as if by inner command, to listen — J.C.Powys
his sense of order would compel him to tidy up — Morley Callaghan
2.
a. : to force or cause irresistibly : call upon, require, or command without possibility of withholding or denying
Alexander … after the decisive victory at Legnano compelled Frederick's submission — Encyc. Americana
b. : to impel or force to appear, come, or go : summon peremptorily
potent spells for compelling the Evil One — Charles Dickens
wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine, Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room — Scott Fitzgerald
c. archaic : to cause to congregate : drive together : gather together irresistibly
3.
a. : to domineer over so as to force compliance or submission : demand consideration or attention
nobody will compel you; you are perfectly free — Samuel Butler †1902
b. : to obtain (a response) by force, violence, or coercion
compel assent at the point of a gun
intransitive verb
: to employ force ; especially : to exert an irresistible influence
he had a presence that inspired and a voice that compelled
Synonyms: see force