as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
complied with the order only under duress
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Recent Examples of duress
Under political and donor duress, some schools have adopted statements promising institutional neutrality on issues of the day — even those about which administrators, faculty and students may be most vocal.
—
Richard K. Vedder, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Neither has been forced to recalibrate under genuine duress.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Jealous neighbors had reported them to authorities, or colleagues who had been arrested named them under duress.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Organs have been reportedly removed in hospitals under duress, and women are routinely raped or executed for speaking their truth.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Richard K. Vedder, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026
Neither has been forced to recalibrate under genuine duress.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Jealous neighbors had reported them to authorities, or colleagues who had been arrested named them under duress.
—M. Gessen, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Organs have been reportedly removed in hospitals under duress, and women are routinely raped or executed for speaking their truth.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duress
Noun
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The employee, a mother of two teen girls, warned about the filters and said the pressure on teen girls is intense.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Coach Rick Hirtensteiner said Young dealt with the pressure by just trying to have fun, and Sheffer, playing with his younger brother, Ryan, a starting shortstop, appeared to do just that Wednesday.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The reality today is human plus machine, operating under budget constraints in flawed institutions, fed by imperfect data.—
Eric Sullivan,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
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At the time, Chapter 11 documents filed on behalf of McGrath stated that despite the strength of the brand, Pat McGrath Labs faced growing financial headwinds in early 2025 including liquidity constraints.—
Kathryn Hopkins,
Footwear News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But the ethical questions that the case had raised—about the meaning of family and the commodification of children, the tension between reproductive autonomy and contractual compulsion—were left painfully unresolved.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Within a week, the compulsions disappeared.—
J. Aaron Sanders,
STAT,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The regime attempted to silence him through relentless intimidation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
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In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped rape, criminal confinement and intimidation charges.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The complaint notes that since 2023, five former executive officers have been indicted on federal charges including embezzlement, conspiracy, coercion, insurance fraud and related crimes.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
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The threat of such arbitrary tariffs have been a primary tool of economic and diplomatic coercion, used to extract trade agreements in which countries, including allies such as Britain and Japan, accept higher tariffs on their goods.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duress. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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