1
as in to compel
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the public outcry from the scandal forced the mayor to resign road construction forced them to take an alternate route
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in manpower
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 & Similar Words
2
as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in power
the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task
got through the college board exams by sheer force of will
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
surely you were influenced by the force of his arguments?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
expressed the full force of her frustration with her son for his reckless behavior
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in violence
the use of brute strength to cause harm to a person or property
the officer threatened to resort to force if the suspect did not surrender
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
8
as in supply
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 & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of force
Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Austin Reaves forced overtime with a miraculous sneak-attack that seemed to catch the Nuggets off guard.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Both activities pose an ongoing danger to civilian populations and American forces and, hopefully, will be halted if the American and Israeli effort, is successful.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for force
Verb
Bumila quickly found himself in foul trouble, and was forced to take a seat briefly.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Austin Reaves forced overtime with a miraculous sneak-attack that seemed to catch the Nuggets off guard.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
Noun
On March 3, Lin Junyang—the technical lead of Alibaba’s Qwen model and a driving force behind the company’s open-source strategy—suddenly announced his resignation.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
Both activities pose an ongoing danger to civilian populations and American forces and, hopefully, will be halted if the American and Israeli effort, is successful.
—Letters To The Editor, Hartford Courant, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for force
Recent Examples of Synonyms for force
Verb
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The suit claims Tesla resisted Dondero’s efforts to obtain discovery and moved to compel arbitration, which was denied.—
Andrea Guzmán,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Mar. 2026
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Energy propels the film forward a bit more than the plot when the exact reasons why Nick feels compelled to spare Mike have to remain shrouded in mystery.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Airlines and their trade association argue that the Biden administration’s wheelchair regulations exceed the Department of Transportation’s statutory authority and violate the Administrative Procedure Act, claiming the requirements impose unreasonable burdens on air carriers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
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Eleven people, including several sitting members of Bridgeport city council and the former vice chair of the city’s Democratic Party, are facing hundreds of state criminal charges for violating Connecticut’s absentee ballot laws during back-to-back mayoral elections in 2019 and 2023.—
Andrew Brown,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Flush with manpower and good health since the trade deadline acquisitions of five new players – while saying goodbye to only one regular from the NHL club – that meant the first in what is sure to be a series of hard decisions for head coach John Hynes.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
10 Mar. 2026
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Firefighters arrived within minutes, but due to heavy fire conditions and the home's rural location, additional assistance, including manpower and water supply, was requested.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Weak onshore flows will then return Saturday, which combined with a weakening high pressure system are expected to bring five to 10 degrees of cooling to the coasts and valleys but little change across interior sections, according to the weather service.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Iran may have positioned the Houthis as a regional player that can exert pressure on Iran’s neighbors, but the Houthis have always put their own interests first.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The star power between the United States and Dominican Republic arguably rivaled any matchup seen on a baseball diamond before.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
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Some runways really have that brain chemistry-altering power, and the spectacle that Marc Jacobs created for the Louis Vuitton fall 2012 show is one such example.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Others like Kaiser Permanente and Oregon Health and Science University have stated that their providers will not prescribe the drug until more research is done on its safety and effectiveness.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
16 Mar. 2026
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Beyond his onstage excellence, Grady runs our props department with remarkable effectiveness and decisiveness.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The impact on Europe's inflation trajectory hinges on the duration of the conflict, analysts say.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
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Speculation on munitions While the exact bombs used are not confirmed, the impact points resemble damage seen at Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities during previous operations.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the new revelations of physical violence make Redzepi’s prior gestures toward amends-making feel like a lie.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
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Political risk insurance is a type of coverage intended to protect firms against financial losses caused by unstable political conditions, government actions, or violence.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Force.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/force. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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