force

force

noun

Definition 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>

Synonyms help, labor force, manpower, personnel, pool, staff, workforce

Related Words labor, proletariat, rank and file; band, company, crew, gang, outfit, party, squad, team; employee (also employe), helper, hireling, worker; blood; support

2

the use of power to impose one's will on another <a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force>

Synonyms arm-twisting, coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, pressure

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

Near Antonyms agreement, approval, consent, permission; convincing, persuasion, reason, suasion

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

Near Antonyms disability, inability, inaptitude, incapability, incapableness, incapacity, incompetence, incompetency; ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy, uselessness; helplessness, paralysis

Antonyms impotence, impotency, powerlessness, weakness

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

Near Antonyms invalidity, shakiness, unsoundness; feebleness, powerlessness, weakness

Antonyms inconclusiveness, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness

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>

Synonyms cogency, effectiveness, force, forcefulness, impact, point

Related Words payoff; importance, significance; appeal, attraction, charm, fascination

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>

Synonyms force, foul play

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>

Synonyms constabulary, finest, force, fuzz, heat [slang], man, police force

Related Words bluecoat, bobby [British], bull [slang], constable, cop, copper, gendarme, officer, peeler [British], policeman, police officer, policewoman, shamus [slang], trooper

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>

Synonyms budget, force, fund, inventory, pool, repertoire, reservoir, stock

Related Words reserve, resource; cache, hoard, stockpile; refill, renewal, replacement; kitty, nest egg, pot, purse; fountain, mine, source, spring, well, wellspring