as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
was coerced into signing the document
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Recent Examples of coerces
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
While China often threatens and coerces other countries, such as in disputes with South Korea and Australia, its actions are often triggered by events that China feels directly threaten its core interests.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
Compulsory heterosexuality is a theoretical framework coined by lesbian scholar Adrienne Rich in 1980 to describe how heterosexuality as an institution compels and coerces female sexuality for patriarchal purposes.
—Quispe López, Them., 27 Aug. 2025
The Fate of the Furious (2017) The first film in the franchise since Tokyo Drift not to feature Walker, the eighth movie sees Charlize Theron as a cyberterrorist named Cipher who coerces Dom into working for her and turns him against his team.
—Adam England, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Among the arguments that the government has advanced is that Ticketmaster coerces venues by conditioning access to artists on picking the company as the ticketer for the event.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
While China often threatens and coerces other countries, such as in disputes with South Korea and Australia, its actions are often triggered by events that China feels directly threaten its core interests.
—David C. Kang, Foreign Affairs, 19 Sep. 2025
Compulsory heterosexuality is a theoretical framework coined by lesbian scholar Adrienne Rich in 1980 to describe how heterosexuality as an institution compels and coerces female sexuality for patriarchal purposes.
—Quispe López, Them., 27 Aug. 2025
The Fate of the Furious (2017) The first film in the franchise since Tokyo Drift not to feature Walker, the eighth movie sees Charlize Theron as a cyberterrorist named Cipher who coerces Dom into working for her and turns him against his team.
—Adam England, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Among the arguments that the government has advanced is that Ticketmaster coerces venues by conditioning access to artists on picking the company as the ticketer for the event.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coerces
Verb
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Personality is now a big part of what compels buyers to choose a home; agents increasingly hear buyers asking for character and uniqueness over recent design styles.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The music alone of this collection is a pleasure, but the voice compels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lee forces a foul call after a drive to the rim.—
American-Statesman staff,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
After hours of scrutiny, debate and amendments, the council voted 9-6 to approve a compromise resolution that forces the city to pursue those two tracks and bars consultants that recently assessed the building’s conditions bidding on contracts related to the project.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But no character in any Broadway musical of recent vintage is designed to steal scenes like Aunt Debra, and Emily Koch obliges with a bold, brassy portrayal that proves a key catalyst for the engaging spirit of this marvelous production.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo points to the space in frame three, and Rafa Marin obliges, firing the ball through to Santi Comesana and taking six Juventus players out of the game.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In prior administrations, including during my time in the Obama administration, such leverage ran into statutory guardrails under the Taiwan Relations Act, which obligates the United States to provide Taiwan defensive capabilities.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Orange County’s agreement with ICE only obligates the county to detain up to 114 people, but the county was housing, on average, 140 inmates a day in January and last week, the count hit 182.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coerces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coerces. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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