a force to be reckoned with

: strength or energy exerted or brought to bear : cause of motion or change : active power

used with a number to indicate the strength of the wind according to the Beaufort scale

: moral or mental strength

: to do violence to

: to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means

: to make or cause especially through natural or logical necessity

: count

: estimate, compute

: to determine by reference to a fixed basis