1
as in to compel
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the public outcry from the scandal forced the mayor to resign road construction forced them to take an alternate route
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in manpower
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 & Similar Words
2
as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in power
the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task
got through the college board exams by sheer force of will
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
surely you were influenced by the force of his arguments?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
expressed the full force of her frustration with her son for his reckless behavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in violence
the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property
the officer threatened to resort to force if the suspect did not surrender
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
as in supply
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 & Similar Words
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 force
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
The International Organization for Migration said nearly 60% of those forced from their homes were children.
—Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025
Many staff left local USGS and Fish and Wildlife offices as the agencies carried out reductions in force required by the Trump administration.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for force
Verb
Instead, a group of Jewish zealots burned the city’s storehouses in order to force the population to fight rather than wait out or appease their adversaries.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 7 Aug. 2025
The International Organization for Migration said nearly 60% of those forced from their homes were children.
—Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
The driver hit Cruickshank with such force that his bike was torn in half.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025
Many staff left local USGS and Fish and Wildlife offices as the agencies carried out reductions in force required by the Trump administration.
—Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for force
Recent Examples of Synonyms for force
Verb
-
Without probable cause, Windsor could not have forced or compelled a blood test, breath test or urine test, De Bree’s memo said.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Aug. 2025
-
In season four, Mike’s control over Kingstown is threatened as new players compete to fill the power vacuum left in the Russians’ wake, compelling him to confront the resulting gang war and stop them from swallowing the town.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The idea of making this sort of gesture, at a time when Texas Republicans are violating the spirit of the rules, is understandably hard for Democrats to consider.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Aug. 2025
-
According to Calo, the court order doesn't technically violate OpenAI's terms of service, which say the company must retain data to comply with legal orders.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
But, relief could start happening as soon as Aug. 6 — essentially, whenever the high air pressure dissipates and the wind can move the smoke elsewhere, according to a meteorologist from the NWS Milwaukee-Sullivan.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Tina’s decision to leave the U.S. unfolded against the broader backdrop of mounting political pressure against immigration.—
Sam Wolson,
New Yorker,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Such programming has been a major hit for Netflix since debuting WWE Raw in January, and Disney is clearly hoping for something of the same regular tune-in power for its sports app.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
An 8-core CPU and GPU power tasks such as voice and image recognition.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The media company looking to close the loopholes by the end of 2025, with the impact starting to appear in its financials by 2026.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Iger spoke about the impact of merging the two streaming platforms in an earnings call, CBS News reported this week.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
At certain times, such conspiratorial thinking and refusal to accept the evidence will become dangerous—people will spin up fantasies that result in acts of defamation or threats of violence.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Jose Javier Romero-Hernandez, a Mexican citizen, was convicted of first-degree burglary, domestic assault and battery by strangulation, domestic assault with a dangerous weapon, threatening an act of violence, and malicious injury or destruction of property in Oklahoma.—
Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Trump administration disputes this narrative, noting that the police department reported 1,588 violent crimes this year so far.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Section 740 of Washington’s Home Rule Act gives presidents the authority to take control of the city’s police department for up to 30 days during emergencies.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Since 2022, Russia’s attempt to conquer Ukraine has relied on Belarus as a staging ground, a training base, and a source of supplies and ammunition.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
8 Aug. 2025
-
The system had obvious flaws: For one, Hamas accompanied many of the trucks and guarded much of the warehoused supplies, giving the terrorist group open access to the food.—
Seth Mandel,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Force.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/force. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share