as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
a promise obtained by coercion is never binding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of coercion
In practice, they are enmeshed in the same web of patronage and coercion as the rest of the system.
—
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Trump’s instinctive hawkishness and abiding belief in military coercion as a solution to American problems extend well beyond Iran.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
As each assignee struggles under the weight of conscience, coercion, and fear, the darkly satirical story examines who draws society’s moral lines, who enforces them, and what happens when they are crossed under extreme pressure.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
In Tehran’s thinking, its ability to change its mind at short notice is a way to prevent coercion or attack from its adversaries.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coercion
Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Trump’s instinctive hawkishness and abiding belief in military coercion as a solution to American problems extend well beyond Iran.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2026
As each assignee struggles under the weight of conscience, coercion, and fear, the darkly satirical story examines who draws society’s moral lines, who enforces them, and what happens when they are crossed under extreme pressure.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
In Tehran’s thinking, its ability to change its mind at short notice is a way to prevent coercion or attack from its adversaries.
—Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coercion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercion
Noun
-
Traffic and school pressures brought on by growth concern people in the panhandle.—
John Marks,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Iran also kept up pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some of these clouds could be thick enough to trigger launch constraints.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
While efforts to curb reliance on virgin synthetics have largely centered on recycled polyester, that approach has faced cost, feedstock and scaling constraints.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Christgau has 14,000 reviews and counting, and that’s his glory and his compulsion.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
29 Mar. 2026
-
As the investigation twists and intensifies, Izzy is forced to confront her own compulsions and the personal cost of her pursuit of justice.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But my family also remembers the complexity of that time, stories of intimidation, families caught in the middle, because history is rarely simple.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The bill now requires the NYPD to form a plan for how to address and limit obstruction, intimidation and physical injury.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After an accidental explosion in a West Village bomb factory killed three Weathermen, those who survived, shaken by their friends’ deaths, swore off deadly violence.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Fugazi said, referencing her city’s struggle with gangs and violence.—
Connor Letourneau,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coercion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coercion. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
