Meanings
present singular third person propels · participle present propelling · participle past propelled · past propelled
- transitiveTo provide an impetus for motion or physical action; to cause to move in a certain direction; to drive or push forward.
When you’re swimming, your muscles use oxygen to function and propel you forward with every stroke.
2021 September 20, Michael Botyarov, “Drills to Help You Build Your Lung Strength and Improve Your Freestyle Breathing Pattern”, in U.S. Masters Swimming, archived from the original on 27 Mar 20262 more examples
This tunnel assumed some measure of importance during the second world war, when it was used nightly as an air raid shelter for multiple unit electric trains which were propelled over the branch by a steam engine.
1952 December, R. C. Riley, “By Rail to Kemp Town”, in Railway Magazine, page 836Primary mass relays can propel ships thousands of light years, often from one spiral arm of the galaxy to another.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Mass Relays Codex entrySynonyms: impel
- figurativelytransitiveTo provide an impetus for nonphysical change; to cause to arrive to a certain situation or result.
I can discern your nature and see that even without any arguments (logoi) from me it will propel you to what you say you are drawn towards,
2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 265e1 more example
Black women helped propel Harris and president-elect Joe Biden to victory by elevating turnout in places like Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
2020 November 7, Chelsea Janes, “Kamala Harris, daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, elected nation’s first female vice president”, in Washington Post
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo provide an impetus for motion or physical action; to cause to move in a certain direction; to drive or push forward.
antonym(s) of “cause to move”
More synonyms by meaning
verbgive an incentive for action
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinpropellō
- Middle Englishpropellen“drive out, expel”
- Englishpropel
From Middle English propellen (“drive out, expel”), from Latin propellō, from pro- (“forward”) and pellō (“to push, to move”).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian бутам, тласкам
- бутам (butam)to cause to move in a certain direction
- тласкам (tlaskam)to cause to move in a certain direction
- карам (karam)to make to arrive to a certain situation or result
- движа (dviža)to make to arrive to a certain situation or result
Catalan propulsar
- propulsarto cause to move in a certain direction
Chinese Mandarin 推進 /推进, 驅使 /驱使
- 推進 /推进 (tuījìn)to cause to move in a certain direction
- 驅使 /驱使 (qūshǐ)to make to arrive to a certain situation or result
- 迫使 (pòshǐ)to make to arrive to a certain situation or result
Czech hnát, pohánět
- hnátto cause to move in a certain direction
- pohánětto cause to move in a certain direction
- hnátto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
- pohánětto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
Esperanto propulsi
- propulsito cause to move in a certain direction
Finnish liikuttaa, kuljettaa
- liikuttaato cause to move in a certain direction
- kuljettaato cause to move in a certain direction
- työntääto cause to move in a certain direction
- aiheuttaato make to arrive to a certain situation or result
- johdattaato make to arrive to a certain situation or result
French propulser, catapulter
- propulserto cause to move in a certain direction
- catapulterto cause to move in a certain direction
- catapulterto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
German antreiben
- antreibento cause to move in a certain direction
Italian propellere, catapultare
- propellereto cause to move in a certain direction
- catapultareto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
- spingereto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
Latin prōpellō
- prōpellōto cause to move in a certain direction
Māori whakaneke, tītoko
- whakaneketo cause to move in a certain direction
- tītokoto cause to move in a certain direction
- whakawhanato cause to move in a certain direction
Portuguese propulsar
- propulsarto cause to move in a certain direction
Russian дви́гать, продвига́ть
- дви́гать (dvígatʹ)to cause to move in a certain direction
- продвига́ть (prodvigátʹ)to cause to move in a certain direction
Scottish Gaelic spàrr, cuir air adhart
- spàrrto cause to move in a certain direction
- cuir air adhartto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
Spanish propeler, propeler
- propelerto cause to move in a certain direction
- propelerto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
- impulsarto make to arrive to a certain situation or result
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with propel
Anagrams
Cite this entry
propel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propel
“propel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propel. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “propel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/propel.
Source: propel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.