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Meanings of compel in English

Portuguese
constranger
Catalan
obligar
Spanish
obligar

Force somebody to do something.

constranger

Command.

Usage of compel in English
1
Investigators should be able to compel important information from executives, Morgenstern said.
Reuters
2
Similar state collapses in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia might compel similar invasions.
Wired
3
Lawmakers also may debate whether to seek to compel testimony from Giuliani.
Reuters
4
Subpoenas can compel parties to provide materials that authorities want to review.
Reuters
5
It also cannot compel former police officers to give evidence at all.
The Guardian
6
And of course shaken off the lad's feeble attempts to compel it.
Dancer’s Lament
7
Heris said, Then we ought to have the means to compel him.
Surrender to the will of the night
8
The visions compel him to help wronged souls resolve their unfinished business.
Reuters
9
The overcrowded homes of the poor compel the children to witness everything.
In Darkest England, and the Way Out
10
The object was to compel the retirement of the State bank circulation.
Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. 1 / From Lincoln to Garfield, wit...
11
It has the power to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath.
The Irish Times
12
But with that affinity power he could probably compel even a voidhawk.
The Reality Dysfunction
13
These facts compel us to act along with our friends and allies.
Wired
14
Something seemed to compel me to attend the meetings in this city.
The Personal Touch
15
He tried in vain to compel his horse to face the storm.
Tent Life in Siberia / A New Account of an Old Undertaking; Adve...
16
Very well; then you must compel him, as well as the others.
The Honorable Senator Sage-Brush
About this term
More collocations
Translations for compel
Spanish
obligar
Compel through the time
Compel across language varieties
United Kingdom
Common
United States of America
Less common
Ireland
Less common