as in forcing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
was coerced into signing the document
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Recent Examples of coercing
The lawsuit also claims officers choked Day and slammed him against a wall, eventually coercing him into confessing to killing Irving and Garcia.
—
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Prior to his 2011 conviction, Jeffs was charged and convicted of being an accomplice to rape in September 2007 after coercing a 14-year-old to marry her 19-year-old cousin, though the ruling was later overturned by the Utah Supreme Court over faulty jury instructions, according to CBS News.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Indonesia responded the following day by coercing the UDT and APODETI, among others, into issuing and signing the Balibo Declaration, which proclaimed the integration of East Timor into Indonesia.
—Agathe Demarolle, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.
—Brittany Kubicko, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
Guevara and two colleagues, Mason and then-Detective Ernest Halvorson, orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
However, this kind of rethinking of coverage is not about coercing people to accept worse care in exchange for money.
—Jared Rhoads, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
Fraud rings frequently prey on vulnerable people — including immigrants and the unhoused — coercing them to intentionally cause or stage accidents in exchange for the promise of large payouts.
—Elizabeth Heck, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
The decision typically comes down to whether the government is coercing the public and specifics about who's involved and the intent.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Prior to his 2011 conviction, Jeffs was charged and convicted of being an accomplice to rape in September 2007 after coercing a 14-year-old to marry her 19-year-old cousin, though the ruling was later overturned by the Utah Supreme Court over faulty jury instructions, according to CBS News.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Indonesia responded the following day by coercing the UDT and APODETI, among others, into issuing and signing the Balibo Declaration, which proclaimed the integration of East Timor into Indonesia.
—Agathe Demarolle, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.
—Brittany Kubicko, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
Guevara and two colleagues, Mason and then-Detective Ernest Halvorson, orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
However, this kind of rethinking of coverage is not about coercing people to accept worse care in exchange for money.
—Jared Rhoads, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
Fraud rings frequently prey on vulnerable people — including immigrants and the unhoused — coercing them to intentionally cause or stage accidents in exchange for the promise of large payouts.
—Elizabeth Heck, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
The decision typically comes down to whether the government is coercing the public and specifics about who's involved and the intent.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercing
Verb
-
The windshield on a Southwest Airlines flight cracked May 11, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Oklahoma, federal aviation officials said.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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As the village erupts into full-scale panic, the emergency evolves into a darker mystery, forcing the cop to confront a seemingly impossible reality.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Her new perspective gazes at us directly, compelling us to meet her eye.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
-
For two months, Democrats have forced a series of votes aimed at compelling the Administration to either wind down the conflict or seek authorization.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
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This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.—
Daniel Shoer Roth,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In civil aerospace, for example, Rolls is benefiting as manufacturers Airbus and Boeing struggle to deliver new aircraft at the pace the market requires — obliging airlines to keep flying old planes (and their engines) for longer.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
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Black has sometimes driven for miles to a particular cemetery only to find a funeral under way, obliging him to leave empty-handed.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coercing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coercing. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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