1
as in pushing
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
playfully he propelled his rambunctious friend into the swimming pool to cool off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in driving
to set or keep in motion
the aircraft is propelled by a pair of turboprop engines
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of propelling
Ethan Fennel sniped five goals, propelling Acton-Boxboro to the Players Cup championship game with an 11-8 boys lacrosse victory over Xaverian.
—
Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
At the time, Singularity was excellent not just at bringing me up to date but also at propelling me into future technologies.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
In Singapore, government policy is propelling EV adoption.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
What has changed, Cuello said, is that the federal government passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and executive orders added more changes that are propelling disenrollment.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026
Cliff Simon is tremendous as Ba'al, too, with this episode propelling him from background character to primary antagonist for seasons to come.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
When reentry occurs, Orion's service module responsible for propelling and maneuvering the vehicle through space will separate and burn up, exposing the crew module's heat shield that protects the astronauts from the 3,000-degree Fahrenheit conditions the vehicle will endure.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Moritz Seider became the fourth defenseman in franchise history to record a 5-point game, propelling him to 60 on the season.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Helium is used in MRI scanners and for propelling rockets.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
At the time, Singularity was excellent not just at bringing me up to date but also at propelling me into future technologies.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026
In Singapore, government policy is propelling EV adoption.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
What has changed, Cuello said, is that the federal government passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and executive orders added more changes that are propelling disenrollment.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 15 Apr. 2026
Cliff Simon is tremendous as Ba'al, too, with this episode propelling him from background character to primary antagonist for seasons to come.
—Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
When reentry occurs, Orion's service module responsible for propelling and maneuvering the vehicle through space will separate and burn up, exposing the crew module's heat shield that protects the astronauts from the 3,000-degree Fahrenheit conditions the vehicle will endure.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Moritz Seider became the fourth defenseman in franchise history to record a 5-point game, propelling him to 60 on the season.
—Max Bultman, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Helium is used in MRI scanners and for propelling rockets.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for propelling
Verb
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The company is also pushing for legislation to shield it from liability.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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As the city morphs into a luxury tourist destination, struggling small businesses are pushing to retain the character that drew many tourists in the first place.—
Laura Millan,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For Ioane, that comes in the form of driving a defensive lineman into the ground to clear a path for his quarterback or running back.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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But the judge said that Hallford made credible claims of being a victim of domestic violence and that her ex-husband, Jon Hallford, was the driving force in their relationship.—
Colleen Slevin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some of the recent videos show the runners bumping into security guards and shoving past church staff, then leaving after being cornered and told to get off the property.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Reus scored the winner on a PK after a foul on Sam Junqua for shoving Elijah Wynder in the back on a corner kick.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Step back, limit input, and process what’s coming up before moving forward with clearer boundaries.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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April 19 guest commentary The recent commentary on the Colorado Connector rail service was supportive of moving ahead.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Orlando teammates shared a quick high-five before thrusting the air awfully close to one another.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
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Each actor elevates and pushes the other toward greatness, parrying and thrusting in excruciating exchanges and switching from vulnerability to anger in a matter of seconds.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Its trillion-parameter system uses a Mixture-of-Experts approach, activating only a fraction of parameters per task.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Apr. 2026
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This suggests that activating a stress response siphons energy away from long-term maintenance processes.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Propelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/propelling. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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