force

[ fawrs ]

noun

1. physical power or strength possessed by a living being:

   He used all his force in opening the window.

2. strength or power exerted upon a person; physical coercion; violence:

   The campus police are legally authorized to use force to defend themselves or others.

3. strength; energy; power; intensity:

   She had a personality of great force that helped her succeed as a leader.

   Synonyms: vigor

4. power to influence, affect, or control; efficacious power:

   They were strangers brought together by the force of circumstances.

   UNESCO is calling on countries to increase political commitment to education as a force for inclusion.

   Synonyms: authority, influence, constraint

5. Law. unlawful violence threatened or committed against persons or property.
6. persuasive power; power to convince:

   They felt the force of his arguments.

   Synonyms: validity, potency, cogency, effectiveness, efficacy

   Antonyms: impotence

7. mental or moral strength:

   It requires great force of character to go against the crowd.

8. might, as of a ruler or realm; strength for war:

   The government hoped a show of force at sea would prevent an invasion by scaring off the opposing side.

9. Often forces or Forces. the people and resources that make up the military, especially of a nation:

   After the surrender, the invaders withdrew the majority of their forces, but left garrisons in place.

10. Often the force or the Force. the police force:

    She was a police officer for twenty years, but retired from the force a year ago.

11. any body of persons combined for joint action:

    We have a sales force of one hundred people spread all across the state.

12. intensity or strength of effect:

    The force of her acting was such that I nearly forgot I was watching a film.

13. Physics.
    1. an influence on a body or system, producing or tending to produce a change in movement or in shape or other effects.
    2. the intensity of such an influence. : F, f
14. any influence or agency analogous to physical force:

    Two powerful social forces, consumerism and economic anxiety, are clashing as a recession looms.

15. binding power, as of a contract or law:

    The The Data Protection Act 2018 was passed by the British Parliament in 2016 and came into force on May 25, 2018.

16. value; significance; meaning:

    The force of his message was lost on me—I didn't understand a word he said.

17. Baseball. force play ( def ).
18. Billiards. a sharp stroke hitting a cue ball directly below the center in such a manner as to cause it to stop abruptly, bound back, or roll off to one side after hitting the object ball.
19. the Force, in the fictional Star Wars universe, a metaphysical energy that connects all living things and can be used for feats such as telekinesis, telepathy, influencing the minds of others, etc.

verb (used with object)

, forced, forc·ing.

1. to compel, constrain, or oblige (oneself or another person) to do something:

   They lied to force the suspect to confess.

   Synonyms: coerce

2. to drive or propel against resistance:

   He forced his way through the crowd.

   They forced air into his lungs.

3. to bring about or effect by force:

   The general's gunboats attacked the fort on February 6, and forced a surrender.

4. to bring about from necessity or as a necessary result:

   Raising interest rates is one of the most reliable ways to force a slowdown in the housing market.

5. to bring about (a reaction, emotion, etc.) against natural inclination:

   She had to force a smile in the midst of her sadness.

   He forced a laugh at his companion's terrible joke.

6. to put or impose (something or someone) forcibly on a person:

   His habit of forcing his opinions on others made him difficult to work with.

7. to compel by force; overcome resistance to (an action or practice):

   During this period of religious instability in England, monarchs tried to force acceptance of their chosen church through law.

8. to obtain or draw forth by or as if by force; extort:

   They forced a testimony out of the reluctant witness.

9. to break open (a door, lock, etc.):

   The thieves forced the lock, so we'll have to completely replace it.

10. to cause (plants, fruits, etc.) to grow or mature at an increased rate by artificial means:

    You can force rhubarb for an earlier harvest by covering the crowns in the late winter.

11. to enter or take by force; overpower:

    They forced the town after a long siege.

    Synonyms: rape, plunder, violate, overcome

12. to press, urge, or exert to violent effort or to the utmost:

    The auctioneer displays refreshing charm and wit as he forces the bidding and drives the price higher and higher.

13. to use force upon.
14. rape ¹( def 6 ).
15. Baseball.
    1. to cause (a base runner) to be put out by obliging the runner, as by a ground ball, to vacate a base and attempt to move to the next base in order to make room for another runner or the batter.
    2. to cause (a base runner or run) to score, as by walking a batter with the bases full (often followed by in ).
16. Cards.
    1. to compel (a player) to trump by leading a suit of which the player has no cards.
    2. to compel a player to play (a particular card).
    3. to compel (a player) to play so as to make known the strength of the hand.
17. Photography.
    1. to develop (a print or negative) for longer than usual in order to increase density or bring out details.
    2. to bring out underexposed parts of (a print or negative) by adding alkali to the developer.
18. Archaic. to give force to; strengthen; reinforce.

verb (used without object)

, forced, forc·ing.

1. to make one's way by force:

   He saw her car force through the crowd.

force

¹

/ fɔːs /

noun

1. strength or energy; might; power

   the force of the blow

   a gale of great force

2. exertion or the use of exertion against a person or thing that resists; coercion
3. physics
   1. a dynamic influence that changes a body from a state of rest to one of motion or changes its rate of motion. The magnitude of the force is equal to the product of the mass of the body and its acceleration
   2. a static influence that produces an elastic strain in a body or system or bears weight F
4. physics any operating influence that produces or tends to produce a change in a physical quantity

   coercive force

   electromotive force

5. 1. intellectual, social, political, or moral influence or strength

      the forces of evil

      the force of his argument

   2. a person or thing with such influence

      he was a force in the land

6. vehemence or intensity

   he spoke with great force

7. a group of persons organized for military or police functions

   armed forces

8. the force informal.
   sometimes capital the police force
9. a group of persons organized for particular duties or tasks

   a workforce

10. criminal law violence unlawfully committed or threatened
11. philosophy logic that which an expression is normally used to achieve See speech act illocution perlocution
12. in force
    1. (of a law) having legal validity or binding effect
    2. in great strength or numbers
13. join forces
    to combine strengths, efforts, etc

verb

1. to compel or cause (a person, group, etc) to do something through effort, superior strength, etc; coerce
2. to acquire, secure, or produce through effort, superior strength, etc

   to force a confession

3. to propel or drive despite resistance

   to force a nail into wood

4. to break down or open (a lock, safe, door, etc)
5. to impose or inflict

   he forced his views on them

6. to cause (plants or farm animals) to grow or fatten artificially at an increased rate
7. to strain or exert to the utmost

   to force the voice

8. to rape; ravish
9. cards
   1. to compel (a player) to trump in order to take a trick
   2. to compel a player by the lead of a particular suit to play (a certain card)
   3. (in bridge) to induce (a bid) from one's partner by bidding in a certain way
10. force a smile
    to make oneself smile
11. force down
    to compel an aircraft to land
12. force the pace
    to adopt a high speed or rate of procedure

force

²

/ fɔːs /

noun

1. (in northern England) a waterfall

force

/ fôrs /

1. Any of various factors that cause a body to change its speed, direction, or shape. Force is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction. Contributions of force from different sources can be summed to give the net force at any given point.
2. Any of the four natural phenomena involving the interaction between particles of matter. From the strongest to the weakest, the four forces are the strong nuclear force , the electromagnetic force , the weak nuclear force , and gravity .

force

1. In physics , something that causes a change in the motion of an object. The modern definition of force (an object's mass multiplied by its acceleration ) was given by Isaac Newton in Newton's laws of motion . The most familiar unit of force is the pound. ( See mechanics .)

Notes

Gravity, and therefore weight , is a kind of force.

Derived Forms

• ˈforceless, adjective
• ˈforcingly, adverb
• ˈforcer, noun
• ˈforceable, adjective

Other Words From

• force·a·ble adjective
• force·less adjective
• forc·er noun
• forc·ing·ly adverb
• in·ter·force noun
• o·ver·force noun
• o·ver·force verb overforced overforcing
• un·force·a·ble adjective
• un·forc·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of force¹

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English force, fors, from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin fortia, derivative of Latin fortis “strong”; verb derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of force¹

C13: from Old French, from Vulgar Latin fortia (unattested), from Latin fortis strong

Origin of force²

C17: from Old Norse fors

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in force,
   1. in operation; effective:

      This ancient rule is no longer in force.

   2. in large numbers; at full strength:

      They attacked in force.

More idioms and phrases containing force

• brute force
• driving force
• in force
• join forces
• reckon with (force to be reckoned with)

Synonym Study

See strength.

Example Sentences

A potential deal would likely establish a timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the south of Lebanon and include the deployment there of thousands of additional troops of the Lebanese army.

From BBC

Mysterious forces seek to quiet the talking animals of Oz, who preach freedom and unity.

From Salon

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats may seek to force a vote on Stabenow’s proposal, keeping the possibility of movement alive — if only faintly.

From Salon

The BBC reported in October that an auction house in Oxfordshire had been forced to withdraw human and ancestral remains from a sale following criticism from native groups and museums.

From BBC

Russian forces have been using landmines widely in Ukraine - since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has deployed landmines to both defend their positions and slow down the Ukrainians.

From BBC

Related Words

• cause
• charge
• compel
• demand
• drag
• drive
• impose
• inflict
• limit
• make
• move
• oblige
• order
• press
• pressure
• require
• restrict
• urge