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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Combined with Angel and Rue’s drive through the desert, Levinson seems to be pointing at the hollowness of the American Dream, which compels a person to risk their life, only to end up photographing dumb bimbos for OnlyFans.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
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DeSantis has avoided saying that lawmakers should be redrawing the map for partisan gains, instead saying a looming decision from the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act compels the state to redistrict.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But what begins as a local emergency soon spirals into a deeper, more terrifying mystery, one that forces the town’s residents to confront the unknown.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
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This constraint forces strict prioritization.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Finally, the series rests on the shoulders of the three principal players, who are just a pleasure to watch; the camera obliges by moving in close.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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The 2026 Ram 1500 definitely obliges in that comfort.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The collective defense clause, if invoked by a member state, obligates all other members of the transatlantic alliance to treat an attack on one as an attack on all.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Europe’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) obligates foreign streaming services to invest a portion of their revenue into local productions, but leaves the modalities of this obligation to each individual country.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coerces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coerces. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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