SG Heritage Dictionary

Compel [Verb transitive] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. To drive or urge with force, or irresistibly; to constrain; to oblige; to necessitate, either by physical or moral force.

2. Thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bound servant. Leviticus 25:39 .

3. And they compel one Simon--to bear his cross. Mark 15:21 .

4. Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23 .

5. Circumstances compel us to practice economy.

6. To force; to take by force, or violence; to seize.

7. The subjects grief comes through commissions, which compel from each a sixth part of his substance.

8. To drive together; to gather; to unite in a crowd or company. A Latinism, compellere gregem.

9. In one troop compelled.

10. To seize; to overpower; to hold.

11. And easy sleep their weary limbs compelled.

12. To call forth, Latin compeller.

Compel [Verb intransitive] Webster's Dictionary 1913

To make one yield or submit.

Compel [Verb transitive] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. To drive or urge with force, or irresistibly; to force; to constrain; to oblige; to necessitate, either by physical or moral force.

2. To take by force or violence; to seize; to exact; to extort.

3. To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.

4. To gather or unite in a crowd or company.

5. To call forth; to summon.

Compellable [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1828

That may be driven, forced or constrained.

Compellable [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

Capable of being compelled or constrained.

Compellably [Adverb] Webster's Dictionary 1828

By compulsion.

Compellably [Adverb] Webster's Dictionary 1913

By compulsion.

Compellation [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. Style or manner of address; the word of salutation.

2. The compellation of the Kings of France is by sire.

Compellation [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

Style of address or salutation; an appellation.

Compellative [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

The name by which a person is addressed; an appellative.

Compellatory [Adjective] Webster's Dictionary 1913

Serving to compel; compulsory.

Compelled [Participle passive] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Forced; constrained; obliged.

Compelled [Imperfect tense and past participle] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Compel

Compeller [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

One who compels or constrains.

Compeller [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

One who compels or constrains.

Compelling [Participle present tense] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Driving by force; constraining; obliging.

Compelling [Present participle and verbal noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Compel

Power Roget’s Thesaurus §157

N. power, potency, potentiality, jiva, puissance, might, force, energy, dint, right hand, right arm, ascendency, sway, control, prepotency, prepollence|, almightiness, omnipotence, authority, strength, ability, ableness, competency, efficacy, efficiency, productivity, expertise (skill) 698, validity, cogency, enablement, vantage ground, influence, pressure, conductivity, elasticity, gravity, electricity, magnetism, galvanism, voltaic electricity, voltaism, electromagnetism, atomic power, nuclear power, thermonuclear power, fuel cell, hydraulic power, water power, hydroelectric power, solar power, solar energy, solar panels, tidal power, wind power, attraction, vis inertiae, vis mortua, vis viva, potential energy, dynamic energy, dynamic friction, dynamic suction, live circuit, live rail, live wire, capability, capacity, quid valeant humeri quid ferre recusent, faculty, quality, attribute, endowment, virtue, gift, property, qualification, susceptibility

V. be powerful, gain power, belong to, pertain to, lie in one's power, be in one's power, can, be able, give power, confer power, exercise power, empower, enable, invest, indue, endue, endow, arm, strengthen, compel

Adj. powerful, puissant, potential, capable, able, equal to, up to, cogent, valid, efficient, productive, effective, effectual, efficacious, adequate, competent, multipotent, plenipotent, omnipotent, almighty, forcible, (energetic) 171, influential, productive

Adv. powerfully, by virtue of, by dint of

Phr. a toute force, δός μοι ποῦ στῶ καὶ κινῶ τὴν γῆν, eripuit cœlo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis, fortis cadere cedere non potest

Necessity Roget’s Thesaurus §601

N. involuntariness, instinct, blind impulse, inborn proclivity, innate proclivity, native tendency, natural tendency, natural impulse, predetermination, necessity, necessitation, obligation, compulsion, subjection, stern necessity, hard necessity, dire necessity, imperious necessity, inexorable necessity, iron necessity, adverse necessity, fate, what must be, destiny, destination, fatality, fate, kismet, doom, foredoom, election, predestination, preordination, foreordination, lot fortune, fatalism, inevitableness, spell, star, stars, planet, planets, astral influence, sky, fates, parcae, sisters three, book of fate, god's will, will of heaven, wheel of fortune, ides of march, hobson's choice, last shift, last resort, dernier ressort, pis aller, necessaries, necessarian, necessitarian, fatalist, automaton

V. lie under a necessity, befated, be doomed, be destined &c. in for, under the necessity of, have no choice, have no alternative, be one's fate, to be pushed to the wall to be driven into a corner, to be unable to help, destine, doom, foredoom, devote, predestine, preordain, cast a spell, necessitate, compel

Adj. necessary, needful, fated, destined, elect, spellbound, compulsory, uncontrollable, inevitable, unavoidable, irresistible, irrevocable, inexorable, avoidless, resistless, involuntary, instinctive, automatic, blind, mechanical, unconscious, unwitting, unthinking, unintentional, impulsive

Adv. necessarily, of necessity, of course, ex necessitate rei, needs must, perforce, nolens volens, will he nil he, willy nilly, bon gre mal gre, willing or unwilling, coute que coute, faute de mieux, by stress of, if need be

Phr. it cannot be helped, there is no help for, there is no helping it, it will be, it must be, it needs to be, it must be so, it will have its way, the die is cast, jacta est alea, che sara sara, "it is written", one's days are numbered, one's fate is sealed, fata obstant, diis aliter visum, actum me invito factus, non est meus actus, aujord'hui roi demain rien, quisque suos patimur manes, "the moving finger writes and having writ moves on. nor all your piety and wit can bring it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it."

Compulsion Roget’s Thesaurus §744

N. compulsion, coercion, coaction, constraint, duress, enforcement, press, conscription, force, brute force, main force, physical force, the sword, ultima ratio, club law, lynch law, mob law, arguementum baculinum, le droit du plus fort, martial law, restraint, necessity, force majeure, hobson's choice

V. compel, force, make, drive, coerce, constrain, enforce, necessitate, oblige, force upon, press, cram down the throat, thrust down the throat, force down the throat, say it must be done, make a point of, insist upon, take no denial, put down, dragoon, extort, wring from, squeeze, put on the squeeze, put on the screws, turn on the screw, drag into, bind, bind over, pin down, tie down, require, tax, put in force, commandeer, restrain

Adj. compelling, coercive, coactive, inexorable, compulsory, compulsatory, obligatory, stringent, peremptory, forcible, not to be trifled with, irresistible, compelled, fain to

Adv. by force, by force of arms, on compulsion, perforce, vi et armis, under the lash, at the point of the sword, at the point of the bayonet, forcibly, by a strong arm, under protest, in spite of one's teeth, against one's will, nolens volens, by stress of circumstances, by stress of weather, under press of, de rigueur, with a gun to one's head

Phr. i'll make him an offer he can't refuse

King James Bible KJV Bible

Berean Standard Bible BSB Bible

21 KJV and 12 BSB verses contain “Compel” — showing the first 20. Show all 30 verses (searchable)

Exodus 3:19

And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.

Exodus 25:2

Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

“Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him.

Leviticus 25:39

And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:

If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.

1 Samuel 13:12

Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.

I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

1 Samuel 28:23

But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.

Saul refused, saying, “I will not eat.” But his servants joined the woman in urging him, and he heeded their voice. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

2 Chronicles 21:11

Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah thereto.

Jehoram had also built high places on the hills of Judah; he had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.

Esther 1:8

And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man’s pleasure.

By order of the king, no limit was placed on the drinking, and every official of his household was to serve each man whatever he desired.

Job 20:2

Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste.

“So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer, because of the turmoil within me.

Job 32:18

For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.

For I am full of words, and my spirit within me compels me.

Matthew 5:41

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

Matthew 27:32

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

Mark 15:21

And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.

Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

Luke 14:23

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

Acts 20:22

And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

Acts 26:11

And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

Acts 28:19

But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.

But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, even though I have no charge to bring against my nation.

2 Corinthians 5:14

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.

2 Corinthians 12:11

I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.

I have become a fool, but you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.

Galatians 2:3

But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:

Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.

Galatians 2:14

But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”