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
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Recent Examples of force
Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 22 Feb. 2026
Cambridge also had three steals and helped force USC to commit a season-high 25 turnovers as the Trojans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) had their six-game winning streak come to a close.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Feb. 2026
On a rebuilding team, coming off a 119-loss season, Karros is intent on being part of the turnaround by playing 24-karat defense at the hot corner and becoming an offensive force — starting this season.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for force
Verb
Moore believes the attacks on her field will eventually force faculty and students to leave the school.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 22 Feb. 2026
Cambridge also had three steals and helped force USC to commit a season-high 25 turnovers as the Trojans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten) had their six-game winning streak come to a close.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
Read on to discover the driving forces behind the trend.
—Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Feb. 2026
On a rebuilding team, coming off a 119-loss season, Karros is intent on being part of the turnaround by playing 24-karat defense at the hot corner and becoming an offensive force — starting this season.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for force
Recent Examples of Synonyms for force
Verb
-
The lawsuit Paxton brought against the company sought compensation for economic losses, civil penalties and a court order compelling the company to take corrective measures to prevent future tragedies.—
Lana Ferguson,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Nonetheless, host Alan Cumming felt compelled to smooth things over, emphasizing the involuntary nature of the outbursts.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump originally accused the bank of trade libel and violating state and federal unfair and deceptive trade practices.—
Ken Sweet,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The repeal followed Congress’s zeroing out of penalties for violating Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ukraine’s manpower shortages irk her, as does the criticism of strongarm recruitment efforts.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
-
In exchange for subsidized oil shipments that kept Cuba’s struggling economy afloat, Havana provided the expertise and manpower to help Caracas maintain internal control during periods of political unrest, according to current and former officials.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Washington is ramping up pressure on Tehran, amassing aircraft and warships in the Middle East, and sanctioning more than 30 entities that support Iranian oil and weapons sales.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The heroes were Bruce Brown for his relentless ball pressure, Spencer Jones for his pesky physicality and Cam Johnson for his heady defensive impact as much as Jokic for his typical box score theatrics.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Stem cell skincare products set out to harness the innate power of stem cells, which are naturally found in skin, to slow signs of aging.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Then came an almighty, barely believable surge spearheaded by Ngumoha, and if the VAR intervention was the slice of good fortune Forest needed, what happened next summed up everything about the power of those towards the top.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Captures and killings of cartel leaders serve a strategic purpose of showing that something is being done, but the effectiveness of such policies in the long run is very limited.—
Angélica Durán-Martínez,
The Conversation,
24 Feb. 2026
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This development challenged the prevailing wisdom then that training advanced models require more processing power, and raised questions about the effectiveness of US tech and export controls.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The heroes were Bruce Brown for his relentless ball pressure, Spencer Jones for his pesky physicality and Cam Johnson for his heady defensive impact as much as Jokic for his typical box score theatrics.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Those chemicals may well have the same biological impacts as the rest of the PFAS family — and that’s what the new study found, Li said.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those who still come — fleeing violence or persecution — could still apply for asylum as the law intends.—
Federico Peña,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
-
French sociologists tracking militant political violence say the vast majority of incidents in recent decades have been caused by far-right and neo-Nazi groups.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Force.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/force. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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