propel

Everyday

1. To push or drive something forward. tree →
2. To send someone into a new situation, or make them do something: propelled to fame. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons forces propel things: engines propel cars, oars propel boats, a jet of air propels a balloon rocket. In stories a character can be propelled by fear or anger. Phrases: jet-propelled, self-propelled, propel forward.

Examples

• The engine propels the boat through the water. tree →
• Oars propel a rowing boat. tree →
• Air rushing out of the balloon propelled it across the room. tree →
• Her great voice propelled her to fame. tree →
• Rockets are propelled by burning fuel. tree →
• The wind propelled the yacht faster than we expected. tree →
• He imagines that one can propel things by means of steam." tree →

Note

Double l in propelled, propelling. Noun: propeller (spinning blades on a boat or plane), propulsion. Newton's third law: a rocket pushes gas back, the gas pushes the rocket forward.