propel

Etymology

From Middle English propellen (“drive out, expel”), from Latin propellō, from pro- (“forward”) and pellō (“I push, I move”).

verb

1. (transitive) To provide an impetus for motion or physical action, to cause to move in a certain direction; to drive forward.
   Primary 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, →OCLC, PC, scene: Mass Relays Codex entry
2. (transitive, figurative) To provide an impetus for non-physical change, to make 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 265e
   Black women helped propel Harris and president-elect Joe Biden to victory by elevating turnout in places like Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. November 7 2020, Chelsea Janes, “Kamala Harris, daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, elected nation’s first female vice president”, in Washington Post