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
The suit said that in prior contacts with Tranckino, deputies were assisted by a Crisis Assessment Team, comprised of professionals trained in working with those in mental duress.
—
Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Weekend Update The Weekend Updates desk jokes are fine to good, especially considering some of them were rewritten under duress.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
Lower lids folded inward, placing optic nerves under duress, a literal reflection of breeder shortsightedness.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The women requested more time to decide, while some signed under duress, Jetson said.
—Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Weekend Update The Weekend Updates desk jokes are fine to good, especially considering some of them were rewritten under duress.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
Lower lids folded inward, placing optic nerves under duress, a literal reflection of breeder shortsightedness.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The women requested more time to decide, while some signed under duress, Jetson said.
—Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duress
Noun
-
The test Wednesday was designed find out if helium was leaking into the oxygen lines of the isolated manifold, thus raising pressure as observed.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Bin Sulayem stepped down from his post as DP World’s chairman and chief executive in February this year, following immense pressure regarding his relationship with Epstein.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jet fuel prices have doubled over the past month as crude supply problems have translated into supply constraints.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
-
That said, Springfield has hindered municipalities in important ways from addressing their budget constraints.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But the man had a normal level of intelligence and lacked any compulsion to injure himself.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Written by Mescudi, Doe explores themes of addiction and survival through the lens of a man living on the streets of Hollywood who, over the course of 24 hours, drifts through a series of encounters that pull him in and out of the cycles of his compulsion.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Following mounting pressure from Russian law enforcement and escalating political intimidation, Allakhverdiyeva ultimately fled to Berlin.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Tramell McHenry, 18, is charged with murder, auto theft and intimidation.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The lawyers also argue that Combs' sentence was too harsh, saying the trial judge wrongly based it in part on a conclusion that the crimes involved fraud and coercion and that Combs was a leader or organizer of criminal activity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Through favors and coercion, both couples vie for the approval of the elitist club’s billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh Jung), who struggles to manage her own scandal involving her second husband, Doctor Kim (Song Kang Ho).—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duress. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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