VocabauraVOCABAURA

propel

verb

Simple meaning

To provide an impetus for motion or physical action.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pruhpehl

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

pɹəˈpɛl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To provide an impetus for motion or physical action; to cause to move in a certain direction; to drive or push forward.

  2. transitivefigurative

    To provide an impetus for nonphysical change; to cause to arrive to a certain situation or result.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To provide an impetus for motion or physical action; to cause to move in a certain direction; to drive or push forward.

Used this way, propel is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use propel

  • “Steam propels this ship.”verb

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “propel”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

helped propelarts propel

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • propellernounInflected form

    A mechanical device that rotates to push against air or water.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • propeller planenounCompound term

    An airplane that is driven by a propeller.

  • rocket-propelledadjectiveCompound term

    Propelled by (or as if propelled by) a rocket engine.

  • screw propellernounCompound term

    A propeller with several angled blades that rotates to push against water or air.

  • self-propelled vehiclenounCompound term

    A wheeled vehicle that carries in itself a means of propulsion.

  • single-propeller planenounCompound term

    A propeller plane with a single propeller.

  • turbo-propeller planenounCompound term

    An airplane with an external propeller that is driven by a turbojet engine.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • propellantnounRelated term

    Any substance that propels.

  • propellant explosivenounRelated term

    An explosive that is used to propel projectiles from guns or to propel rockets and missiles or to launch torpedos and depth charges.

  • rocket propellantnounRelated term

    An explosive charge that propels a rocket.

  • rocket propellentnounRelated term

    An explosive charge that propels a rocket.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to provide an impetus for motion or physical action

impelmove

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “propel” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.