1
as in compels
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
2
as in violates
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent
was accused of forcing a woman
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in workforces
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 pressures
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 police
a body of officers of the law
the police detective retired after 23 years on the force
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in supplies
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 forces
Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
And for Orlando itself, the process forces a long-overdue reckoning with how the city sees its future.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
The movie circles back to show the full details of what happened that night in the pool, which forces Elliot to see everything in a new light.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
For video calls, position your phone, tablet, or laptop so the camera is at or near eye level, rather than on your lap or a low table that forces you to look down.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s a counterclockwise circulation of air inside that box, which forces everything to get re-burned several times.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
WhatsApp already forces its users to upgrade their app every three months.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
That depth matters in a season bisected by the FIFA World Cup, which runs June 11-July 19 and forces MLS into a seven-week hiatus.
—Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 12 Jan. 2026
High-profile sporting events come with strict restrictions, which forces creativity.
—Brian Munoz, NPR, 11 Jan. 2026
Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
Tens of millions of Iranians rely on the regime for their livelihood, and tens of thousands of fathers and sons serve in the security forces that would be targeted.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Their apartment only offers the slightest refuge from outside forces, and their real home is each other, which — as any siblings know — isn’t always an easy fit.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
The company’s heritage working with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the country’s naval forces as well as the family’s ties to McGill University translated into pieces with military and uniform references.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
Relative to its weight, the layered structure increases resistance to crack propagation and distributes mechanical forces.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Israeli forces captured the territory as part of an effort to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza by the terrorist group Hamas.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
That forces a different approach—one that focuses less on betting on a specific connector and more on giving guests flexible ways to power their own devices.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
And for Orlando itself, the process forces a long-overdue reckoning with how the city sees its future.
—Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
The movie circles back to show the full details of what happened that night in the pool, which forces Elliot to see everything in a new light.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
For video calls, position your phone, tablet, or laptop so the camera is at or near eye level, rather than on your lap or a low table that forces you to look down.
—Larry Magid, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
There’s a counterclockwise circulation of air inside that box, which forces everything to get re-burned several times.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
WhatsApp already forces its users to upgrade their app every three months.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
That depth matters in a season bisected by the FIFA World Cup, which runs June 11-July 19 and forces MLS into a seven-week hiatus.
—Colin Cerniglia, Charlotte Observer, 12 Jan. 2026
High-profile sporting events come with strict restrictions, which forces creativity.
—Brian Munoz, NPR, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
State television reported that Niger's forces responded quickly to the assault early Thursday, killing 20 of the attackers and arresting 11 others.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
Tens of millions of Iranians rely on the regime for their livelihood, and tens of thousands of fathers and sons serve in the security forces that would be targeted.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
Their apartment only offers the slightest refuge from outside forces, and their real home is each other, which — as any siblings know — isn’t always an easy fit.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
The company’s heritage working with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the country’s naval forces as well as the family’s ties to McGill University translated into pieces with military and uniform references.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
Relative to its weight, the layered structure increases resistance to crack propagation and distributes mechanical forces.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Israeli forces captured the territory as part of an effort to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza by the terrorist group Hamas.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
Verb
-
This same self-centeredness compels his girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby) to move out of their modest apartment without warning.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
North Carolina requires vaccines without enforcement State law compels North Carolina school principals to require that kindergartners get seven vaccinations within 30 days of the start of the school year.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Because of this, Medeiros said, the question for many businesses becomes less about getting ICE to leave their property and more about what to do if ICE violates consent and other legal requirements.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Democratic senators from Oregon, New Mexico and Massachusetts asked Apple and Google to remove X from their app stores in a letter this month, saying that the mass generation of non-consensual sexualized images violates the stores’ distribution terms.—
Lola Murti,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Wall Street Journal wrote a December 2025 meeting of CEOs organized by the Yale School of Management, two-thirds of those surveyed planned to at most maintain the existing workforces or, at worst, fire workers.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But Kumar told Fortune that most businesses had not yet done the hard work of restructuring their businesses or reskilling their workforces to take advantage of AI’s potential.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Takaichi’s popularity outpaces support for her party amid persistent economic pressures.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Policymakers emphasized the need to balance easing inflation pressures against still-solid economic growth and a stabilizing labor market.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Since last summer, police in Northern California have been investigating a hidden camera found in a public bathroom at a Kaiser Medical Center in Vallejo.—
Jeff Nguyen,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
According to Sutton, federal agents are now being pushed into volatile crowd-control roles without proper training or coordination because local police have been ordered to stand down.—
Stepheny Price , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
National Guard troops were delivering supplies by truck and helicopter.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This is the fourth flight of the crew Dragon, which will be bring up nearly 7,000 pounds of supplies, dock to the station 41 hours after launch and remain on the station for three weeks.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The two have always had an uneasy relationship, but in the series' first episode, Constance’s son Willem (Toby Hemingway) rapes Fiona’s daughter Dahlia (Diana Silvers), and is murdered by the Nolan family because of it.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Soon after police arrested Bernardo for the Scarborough rapes, he and Homolka were also linked to the murders of three teenage girls between 1990 and 1992, according to CTV News.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forces. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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