propelling
part of speech
verb form (of «propel»: propel, propels, propelled, propelling); adjective (propelling, as in «propelling pencil»)
meaning for a pupil
1) Pushing or driving something forward. tree →
2) (adjective, UK) A «propelling pencil» is a mechanical pencil in which the lead is pushed out by twisting or clicking. tree →
3) Making someone do something or go somewhere: «Fear was propelling him on.» tree →
sense in the lessons
In science: an engine, oars, wings or a jet of water can propel a boat, a plane or a squid; Newton's third law – push backwards, go forwards. In The Wind in the Willows the Rat propels the boat with oars, and Toad's car is propelled by its engine. In maths class you might use a propelling pencil for neat graphs.
examples
- The oars were propelling the boat across the river. tree →
- A squid moves by propelling water out of its body. tree →
- The rocket is propelled by burning fuel. tree →
- Can I borrow your propelling pencil? tree →
- The crowd was propelling us towards the gate. tree →
- A propeller turns, propelling the ship forward. tree →
note
Double l before -ing and -ed: propelled, propelling. Related: propeller, propulsion.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «propelling» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.