All 7 Uses of
compel
in
The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Mr. Benedict smiled kindly down at him and said, "Sticky, never fear, you aren't compelled to join the team.†
p. 79.5compelled = forced; or (more rarely) convinced
- A strange sense of duty, not to mention a powerful curiosity, compelled him to join.†
p. 84.1 *
- And another came during the evening, so that they were compelled to study with their nerves being plucked like banjo strings.†
p. 221.5
- "You three go on," said Reynie, who felt strangely compelled to see the list up close.†
p. 234.5
- The Helpers, feeling compelled to reciprocate, stopped walking and set down their buckets so they could wave back.†
p. 247.2
- Suddenly, Reynie felt compelled to grab Kate's hand.†
p. 284.1
- His mind kept returning to the phrases he'd been compelled to think: "...Brush your teeth and kill the germs.†
p. 326.2
Definition:
to force someone to do something
or more rarely:
to convince someone to do something
or more rarely:
to convince someone to do something
Most typically, compel describes an external influence forcing someone to do something, but it can also describe being driven by an internal desire.