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
Each site will receive a grant of $25,000 to go towards maintaining itself under duress.
—
News Desk, Artforum, 20 May 2026
Dykes is most impressed with Craig’s comfort in the pocket, throwing the ball accurately under duress.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Some Jews also formally converted to another religion under duress.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
Even before that, the country was under economic duress.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
News Desk, Artforum, 20 May 2026
Dykes is most impressed with Craig’s comfort in the pocket, throwing the ball accurately under duress.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Some Jews also formally converted to another religion under duress.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
Even before that, the country was under economic duress.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duress
Noun
-
Beyond their immediate impact, experts say such attacks are part of a broader Russian strategy to sow fear among ordinary people and increase public pressure on Ukraine’s leaders to end the war.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
The rush for the exits by investors is reigniting anxiety over pressures in the global private markets industry.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Set the scene In the heart of the city’s museum quarter, this property is an ideal spot for tourists without budget constraints.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Data center capacity constraints, over-reliance on OpenAI and a Copilot assistant that trails rivals have challenged Microsoft’s early lead.—
Sebastian Herrera,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
For me, one of these compulsions ended up being using the tracking app.—
Sara Rowe Mount,
Parents,
22 May 2026
-
In a clinical setting, mental health experts call such actions compulsions – behaviors that feel impossible to resist – are fueled by obsessive thoughts and eventually begin to interfere with a person’s ability to lead a normal, healthy life.—
Jordyn Tovey,
The Conversation,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Misinformation spreads rapidly online, while voters increasingly worry about intimidation, administrative failures, and political interference in elections.—
Louie Sawi,
New York Daily News,
4 June 2026
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Such orders are intended to prevent an individual from subjecting another person to acts of violence, intimidation or harassment.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
That echoes findings of a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which visited Yerevan in May and said foreign interference included illicit political financing, cyberattacks, economic coercion and direct attempts to manipulate the electoral process.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
-
Grooming, coercion and economic dependence unfold over time, often long before any event occurs.—
Jennifer E. O'Brien,
The Conversation,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duress. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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