What's the difference between compel and overpower?

Compel


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To drive or urge with force, or irresistibly; to force; to constrain; to oblige; to necessitate, either by physical or moral force.
  • (v. t.) To take by force or violence; to seize; to exact; to extort.
  • (v. t.) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.
  • (v. t.) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.
  • (v. t.) To call forth; to summon.
  • (v. i.) To make one yield or submit.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) But he lost much of his earnings betting on cards and horses, and he has readily admitted that it was losses of up to £750,000 a night that compelled him to make some of his worst films.
  • (2) This provides a compelling argument that the protein kinase function of p37mos is an intrinsic property of the protein.
  • (3) Compelling evidence of the transference in this case occurred in the ninth month of treatment when the therapist told the child that she would be going on vacation.
  • (4) "We continue to believe that our final proposal was compelling and represented full value for AstraZeneca based on the information that was available to us," said the British-born executive.
  • (5) These advances will compel hospitals to plan for their funding and implementation.
  • (6) Certainly the affidavit against Ferdaus paints a compelling picture of a man hellbent on waging jihad in America and eager to take the guns and explosives eventually supplied to him by the undercover FBI agents.
  • (7) The Hollande team maintained that all topics were on the table and also held open the prospect that France could refuse to ratify Merkel's fiscal pact compelling debt and deficit reduction in the eurozone unless eurobonds were recognised as a possible tool.
  • (8) As a self-described rationalist, she felt compelled to act.
  • (9) Brown makes policy statements all the time, and we know exactly what he's said about social justice etc - but he has never been able to give the public a compelling answer to this question.
  • (10) The evidence has long been compelling that the primary fuel of what the US calls terrorism are the very policies of aggression justified in the name of stopping terrorism .
  • (11) Christine Langan of BBC Films told Screen Daily: "Compelling, funny and moving, Gold is a gem of a story and BBC Films is proud to be participating in bringing it to an international audience."
  • (12) The symbolism and the politics of the law are far more troubling and far more toxic than the actual substance of what the law will do itself.” That symbolism compelled store owners in Indianapolis to put up signs that say: “Instead of hate, we proudly serve everyone,” “This Hoosier still opposes the anti-LGBT license to discriminate,” and “Open for service!
  • (13) The bill, voted through a panel of the house energy and power subcommittee, would compel Obama to over-rule demands for a further review of the project from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and disregard local opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline from landowners along its 1,700-mile route.
  • (14) Pickles said he would also be making an order under the Local Government Act 2000 to compel Rotherham council to hold all-out elections in 2016 and every fourth year thereafter.
  • (15) In the Museum of the Warsaw Rising, the sound effects are powerful, the visuals compelling, the tragedy forcefully conveyed.
  • (16) Because we're a species of storytellers, we find movie-plot threats uniquely compelling .
  • (17) These results were perceived as scientifically compelling as well as clinically relevant.
  • (18) Extraterrestrials Decades of searching for signs of alien life have so far turned up a blank, yet the question of whether life on Earth is a one-off is among the most compelling in science.
  • (19) Although findings in animals are compelling, observations in humans are less clear.
  • (20) His videos make for compelling first-person testimony.

Overpower


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To excel or exceed in power; to cause to yield; to vanquish; to subdue; as, the light overpowers the eyes.
  • (n.) A dominating power.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) This set was called by the authors a syndrome reflecting an overpowering, but latent, unconscious sense of crisis, of a catastrophe ("Catastrophe-syndrome").
  • (2) Preliminary murder charges have been lodged against two men – both students at Islamic religious schools, who were arrested at the scene after being overpowered by bystanders – and against a third assailant who fled and has yet to be found, an officer said.
  • (3) After seeing my status one man wrote to me that he wants to be positive but “feels overpowered by a nightmare existence”.
  • (4) Lung reflexes in the fibrotic rabbits were more profoundly changed than eupneic breathing in a way that could be interpreted as slowly adapting receptor activity, which was increased, being overpowered by a prepotent input from pulmonary rapidly adapting receptors.
  • (5) It was flattering, appropriate (despite inevitable "oo-er, heels at a sports event" comments in the media) and, crucially, the look was not overpowered by Obama's mustard cashmere cardigan – although she was as ebullient and as natural as we have come to expect.
  • (6) Old plastic supermarket bags clog the ground under the platform stilts and the smell of sewage is overpowering.
  • (7) Rowena Mason (@rowenamason) Eleanor Laing says she will stand up for backbenchers against overpowering governments of any political stripe #deputyspeakerhustings October 15, 2013 Rowena Mason (@rowenamason) Simon Burns says he standing for deputy speaker because he is fully qualified and would be "firm with a light touch" #deputyspeakerhustings October 15, 2013 Rowena Mason (@rowenamason) Simon Burns says it is an elephant in the room that he and the speaker are "not the greatest of personal friends" #hustings #dwarfgate October 15, 2013 Rowena Mason (@rowenamason) Simon burns says not behind twitter account in his name +wouldn't know how to "tweet I think it is called".
  • (8) ☞ Jimmy Cowan of Aston Villa overpowering the great Steve Bloomer in 1897!
  • (9) French authorities were questioning Khazani at their counter-terrorism headquarters outside Paris as remarkable details continued to emerge of how the heavily armed gunman was overpowered by passengers on the train in France .
  • (10) Cascades of golden light overpower the sun, rising from a jumble of massive titanium forms piled on top of each other, part train crash and part explosion in a bullion vault.
  • (11) There are, however, overpowering reasons to be cynical about these particular politicians making this pitch at this particular time.
  • (12) We could have overpowered the insurgents, but there was no[t] enough ammunition,” said one army officer who was present, speaking to Nigeria’s Premium Times , in an admission that symbolises everything that is wrong with Nigeria’s military-led counter-terrorism approach.
  • (13) Moreover, the other tactics used to gain children's compliance, such as overpowering them, suddenly grabbing their genitals, and attacking them in their sleep, appeared to seriously compromise children's autonomy and personal integrity.
  • (14) "Beware lest amidst men the flame of foolish ignorance overpowers you."
  • (15) Others, including the Liberal Democrats, who caution that marketisation must not overpower democratisation, might worry about hospitals being taken out of elected hands.
  • (16) It is the reason why we've been able to overpower the iron fist of fascism, outlast the iron curtain of communism, and enlist free nations and free people everywhere in common cause and common effort.
  • (17) There was such an overpowering reaction to the footage, you sort of feel like, ‘Oh, so we weren’t crazy for our reasons for loving this character, for loving this role’,” he told the Niagara Falls Review .
  • (18) Faith has played a very important role in our fight to end this virus, while our brothers and sisters have died and are still dying, while others are still being infected, while our freedom has been reduced, while we are suffering, starving, while many have been stigmatised and traumatised, many lost their livelihoods, even when fear overpowers us, we have hung on to our faith, because we are people of faith.
  • (19) Done correctly, with pace and precision, Dortmund’s game can overpower the best of teams, as Real Madrid and Bayern can testify from recent experiences.
  • (20) "The soldiers were overpowered after they arrived in the square.