force
force
nounDefinition of FORCE
1
a body of persons at work or available for work <the entire force of the shipyard will be needed to get this government order done on time>
2
the use of power to impose one's will on another <a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force>
Related Words browbeating, bulldozing, bullying; fear, intimidation, menace, sword, terror, terrorism, threat, violence; squeeze, squeeze play; might, muscle, potency, puissance, strength; hardheadedness, self-will, willfulness; strain, stress
3
the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task <got through the college board exams by sheer force of will>
Synonyms energy, firepower, force, horsepower, might, muscle, potence, potency, puissance, sinew, strength, vigor
Related Words aptitude, capability, capacity, competence, competency; adequacy, effectiveness, effectualness, usefulness
4
the capacity to persuade <surely you were influenced by the force of his arguments?>
Synonyms authority, conclusiveness, convincingness, effectiveness, force, forcefulness, persuasion, persuasiveness, suasiveness
Related Words impact, might, power, punch, strength, weight; believability, credibility, soundness, validity; authoritativeness, definitiveness; influence, sway; appeal, seductiveness
5
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect <felt the full force of her denunciation of war as a morally acceptable option>
6
the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property <threatened to resort to force if he wouldn't listen to reason>
Related Words coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, pressure; barbarity, brutality, savagery; damage, detriment, harm, hurt, impairment, injury; crippling, maiming, mayhem, mutilation; assault, attack, bashing, battering, battery, batting, beating, belting, bludgeoning, buffeting, clubbing, cudgeling (or cudgelling), drubbing, flogging, hammering, lacing, licking, mauling, paddling, pelting, pommeling (or pommelling), pounding, pummeling (also pummelling), smashing, socking, thrashing, thumping, tromping, walloping, whaling, whipping; frenzy, fury, onslaught, outbreak, outrage, paroxysm, rage, rampage, revolt, riot, rupture, shock, storm, terror, threat, tumult, turbulence, upheaval, uproar; browbeating, bulldozing, bullying, hectoring, strong-arming
Near Antonyms pacificism, pacifism
Antonyms nonviolence
7
a body of officers of the law <the new police chief will most likely be someone from the force>
8
the number of individuals or amount of something available at any given time <the great debate during the Cold War was whether the nation's missile force was adequate>
Learn More About
Ask The Editor Videos
Seen & Heard 
What made you want to look up force[noun]? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
