as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
complied with the order only under duress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of duress
Yet, no evidence ever surfaced that any gay or lesbian government worker had betrayed the U.S. under duress.
—
Time, 20 June 2025
The design shines when players are under duress; fumbling to properly string together prompts for just one more clip of ammo as an enemy’s footsteps loom closer can be riveting.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But the Iranian Mission to the United Nations was quick to contradict his claim, posting on X that the regime would not negotiate under duress.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 19 June 2025
The black polish is a trend popularised by mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, who do it to harden their toenails and prevent them from cracking or splitting under duress.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for duress
Time, 20 June 2025
The design shines when players are under duress; fumbling to properly string together prompts for just one more clip of ammo as an enemy’s footsteps loom closer can be riveting.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025
But the Iranian Mission to the United Nations was quick to contradict his claim, posting on X that the regime would not negotiate under duress.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 19 June 2025
The black polish is a trend popularised by mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, who do it to harden their toenails and prevent them from cracking or splitting under duress.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for duress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duress
Noun
-
This candid conversation explores trust, strategy, career milestones, and the unfiltered reality of navigating fame, pressure, and performance together.—
Sportico Staff,
Sportico.com,
14 July 2025
-
As coffee lovers become more knowledgeable and discerning about the sourcing, roasting, brewing, sustainability and taste of coffee, this creates pressure on the hospitality industry to meet their expectations.—
Irene S. Levine,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Davis is a magnetic front man, and the Roadhouse Band is an intoxicatingly raucous live outfit, but the constraints of the setup suited his new material, which is suffused with listlessness and yearning, dark jokes and wordy disquisitions on desire.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
The graphic novel format gave him the freedom to imagine without limitation—unbound by the logistical constraints of filmmaking.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Harboring a tragedy from her past, Johansson smooths Zora's rough edges with a compulsion to keep everyone protected, even at the expense of her own safety.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
-
But when care becomes compulsion, and when support turns into self-sacrifice, the relationship begins to lose balance.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Since Carter was found guilty in connection with her son’s death, Lynn has been working to criminalize suicide coercion in Massachusetts.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
Blunt instrument The Supreme Court’s new test, with its implicit suggestion that coercion is found in exposure to materials that go against central tenets of parental religion, is more sledgehammer than scalpel.—
Stephen L. Carter,
Mercury News,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Duress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duress. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share