force

1 a body of persons at work or available for work the entire force of the shipyard will be needed to get this government order done on time Synonyms help, labor force, manpower, personnel, pool, staff, workforce Related Words labor, proletariat, rank and file; band, company, crew, gang, outfit, party, squad, team; employee (also employe), helper, hireling, worker; blood; support

2 the use of power to impose one's will on another a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force Synonyms arm-twisting, coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, pressure Related Words browbeating, bulldozing, bullying; fear, intimidation, menace, sword, terror, terrorism, threat, violence; squeeze, squeeze play; might, muscle, potency, puissance, strength; hardheadedness, self-will, willfulness; strain, stress Near Antonyms agreement, approval, consent, permission; convincing, persuasion, reason, suasion

3 the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task got through the college board exams by sheer force of will Synonyms energy, firepower, power, horsepower, might, muscle, potence, potency, puissance, sinew, strength, vigorRelated Words aptitude, capability, capacity, competence, competency; adequacy, effectiveness, effectualness, usefulnessNear Antonyms disability, inability, inaptitude, incapability, incapableness, incapacity, incompetence, incompetency; ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy, uselessness; helplessness, paralysisAntonyms impotence, impotency, powerlessness, weakness

4 the capacity to persuade surely you were influenced by the force of his arguments? Synonyms authority, conclusiveness, convincingness, effectiveness, cogency, forcefulness, persuasion, persuasiveness, suasivenessRelated Words impact, might, power, punch, strength, weight; believability, credibility, soundness, validity; authoritativeness, definitiveness; influence, sway; appeal, seductivenessNear Antonyms invalidity, shakiness, unsoundness; feebleness, powerlessness, weaknessAntonyms inconclusiveness, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness

5 the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect felt the full force of her denunciation of war as a morally acceptable option Synonyms cogency, effectiveness, punch, forcefulness, impact, pointRelated Words payoff; importance, significance; appeal, attraction, charm, fascination

6 the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property threatened to resort to force if he wouldn't listen to reason Synonyms violence, foul playRelated Words coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, pressure; barbarity, brutality, savagery; damage, detriment, harm, hurt, impairment, injury; crippling, maiming, mayhem, mutilation; assault, attack, bashing, battering, battery, batting, beating, belting, bludgeoning, buffeting, clubbing, cudgeling (or cudgelling), drubbing, flogging, hammering, lacing, licking, mauling, paddling, pelting, pommeling (or pommelling), pounding, pummeling (also pummelling), smashing, socking, thrashing, thumping, tromping, walloping, whaling, whipping; frenzy, fury, onslaught, outbreak, outrage, paroxysm, rage, rampage, revolt, riot, rupture, shock, storm, terror, threat, tumult, turbulence, upheaval, uproar; browbeating, bulldozing, bullying, hectoring, strong-armingNear Antonyms pacificism, pacifismAntonyms nonviolence

7 a body of officers of the law the new police chief will most likely be someone from the force Synonyms constabulary, finest, police, fuzz, heat [slang], man, police forceRelated Words bluecoat, bobby [British], bull [slang], constable, cop, copper, gendarme, officer, peeler [British], policeman, police officer, policewoman, shamus [slang], trooper

8 the number of individuals or amount of something available at any given time the great debate during the Cold War was whether the nation's missile force was adequate Synonyms budget, supply, fund, inventory, pool, repertoire, reservoir, stockRelated Words reserve, resource; cache, hoard, stockpile; refill, renewal, replacement; kitty, nest egg, pot, purse; fountain, mine, source, spring, well, wellspring

1 to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the government forced the natives to sell their land hunger forced the refugees to steal Synonyms blackjack, coerce, compel, constrain, dragoon, drive, impel, impress, make, muscle, obligate, oblige, press, pressure, sandbag Related Words browbeat, bulldoze, bully, cow, hector, intimidate; blackmail, high-pressure, menace, shame, terrorize, threaten; drag; badger, harass, hound Phrases twist one's arm Near Antonyms allow, let, permit; argue, convince, induce, move, persuade, prevail (on or upon), satisfy, talk (into), win (over)

2 to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent young men who should realize that there is no excuse for forcing a woman Synonyms assault, rape, outrage, ravish, violateRelated Words date rape; gang rape; molest; paw; defile, deflower