1
as in compels
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
2
as in violates
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent
was accused of forcing a woman
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in workforces
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 pressures
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 police
a body of officers of the law
the police detective retired after 23 years on the force
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in supplies
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 forces
ABC News, 16 May 2026
Fighting battery fires Lead-acid batteries still dominate nearly 90 percent of UPS backup systems globally, but their low power density often forces operators to install oversized battery banks to meet sudden power demand.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
When a devastating cancer diagnosis forces them back together, all three gather in Sheva’s childhood home, where they are confronted — quite literally — by their younger selves.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Many leaders optimize for efficiency in stable conditions but defer structural resilience—jurisdictional flexibility, diversified exposure, redundant access—until volatility forces the issue.
—Dwayne Chauhan, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Over the course of Obsession's 108-minute runtime, Nikki transforms into an self-destructive, possessive, and dangerously violent shadow of her former self as Bear's spell forces her to fixate solely on her unnatural devotion to him—no matter the cost.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
As Christine put it, softball is a sport that forces players to live alongside failure, and as Megan’s stardom grew, failures came with greater scrutiny.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Since different error correction schemes require different connections among the qubits, this forces us to commit to specific error-correction schemes during manufacturing.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Lomax, sensing his happiness, forces its end, depriving Stoner of this brief joy.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
The goal, according to Western analysts, was to listen in on or potentially jam signals relayed through these satellites, some of which route secure communications for US and NATO military forces.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Shakira and Burna Boy, two of the biggest artists on the global stage, have joined forces for the official song of the 2026 World Cup.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 15 May 2026
But as dubious therapies and unsettling postcolonial rituals blur the line between wellness and manipulation, Alexa begins uncovering the disturbing forces hidden beneath the retreat’s seductive façade.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 15 May 2026
Higher freight rates on the trans-Pacific and Asia-to-Europe trade routes are continuing to bring upward pressure to the wider container market as the situation at the Strait of Hormuz forces carriers to rethink network planning and operational decisions worldwide.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Two everyday forces undo adaptation.
—Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
American forces disabled another vessel on Wednesday.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Yet that’s also how Malone feels about the current climate of Hollywood — a once-stable neighborhood fending off malign forces.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Verb
Experts have described the phenomenon as an invisible crisis with long-term humanitarian consequences — there are few official figures on the number of displaced people, who have almost no resources to turn to once violence forces them to leave.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
Fighting battery fires Lead-acid batteries still dominate nearly 90 percent of UPS backup systems globally, but their low power density often forces operators to install oversized battery banks to meet sudden power demand.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
When a devastating cancer diagnosis forces them back together, all three gather in Sheva’s childhood home, where they are confronted — quite literally — by their younger selves.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Many leaders optimize for efficiency in stable conditions but defer structural resilience—jurisdictional flexibility, diversified exposure, redundant access—until volatility forces the issue.
—Dwayne Chauhan, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Over the course of Obsession's 108-minute runtime, Nikki transforms into an self-destructive, possessive, and dangerously violent shadow of her former self as Bear's spell forces her to fixate solely on her unnatural devotion to him—no matter the cost.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
As Christine put it, softball is a sport that forces players to live alongside failure, and as Megan’s stardom grew, failures came with greater scrutiny.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Since different error correction schemes require different connections among the qubits, this forces us to commit to specific error-correction schemes during manufacturing.
—ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Lomax, sensing his happiness, forces its end, depriving Stoner of this brief joy.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Noun
Night shift work forces the body to be alert during hours it’s biologically built to sleep, creating chronic disruption to the circadian rhythm, a roughly 24-hour internal clock regulated primarily by light.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
The goal, according to Western analysts, was to listen in on or potentially jam signals relayed through these satellites, some of which route secure communications for US and NATO military forces.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Shakira and Burna Boy, two of the biggest artists on the global stage, have joined forces for the official song of the 2026 World Cup.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 15 May 2026
But as dubious therapies and unsettling postcolonial rituals blur the line between wellness and manipulation, Alexa begins uncovering the disturbing forces hidden beneath the retreat’s seductive façade.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 15 May 2026
Higher freight rates on the trans-Pacific and Asia-to-Europe trade routes are continuing to bring upward pressure to the wider container market as the situation at the Strait of Hormuz forces carriers to rethink network planning and operational decisions worldwide.
—Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Two everyday forces undo adaptation.
—Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
American forces disabled another vessel on Wednesday.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Yet that’s also how Malone feels about the current climate of Hollywood — a once-stable neighborhood fending off malign forces.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
Verb
-
The legal agreement also compels TCH to fire multiple physicians who performed these procedures, revoke their privileges, and never hire or credential such doctors.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
-
The subpoena compels the NFL to produce extensive records dating back to 2020 (and earlier for some items) covering the Rooney Rule, the Offensive Assistant Mandate, Resolution JC-2A, the Accelerator Program and the Mackie Development Program.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The complaint claims the practice amounts to an unlawful invasion of privacy and violates Texas consumer protection laws.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
11 May 2026
-
In April, the group of 19 camps in Texas filed a lawsuit saying the requirement to install fiber optic internet does not make their properties safer, violates the state Constitution and laws regarding property rights, and could prevent them from opening.—
STEPHEN SIMPSON The Texas Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Over those 12 slump years, bosses were shrinking their workforces at an average rate of 1% per year.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
-
Other regions — including Nashville, Dallas, and Miami — have grown their creative workforces at double-digit rates since 2019.—
Lola W. Brabham,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
In 2020, as the fear of COVID-19 began to escalate and financial pressures mounted, Stewart, her husband and their three children packed their belongings into a small trailer attached to their 2015 Kia Optima and left for Tennessee in search of something better.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
-
Many voters turned to Trump to alleviate their economic pressures.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
San Diego police are investigating the attack as a hate crime.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
As police were searching for a suspect inside the Islamic center, dispatchers got calls that a landscaper may have been shot at blocks away, Wahl said.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Fuel shortages mean transporting goods is more expensive, so prices for energy, food, medicine and other basic items have also risen as supplies begin to dwindle.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
16 May 2026
-
On Saturday, May 16, International Pickle Day, Smoothie King customers can enjoy a free 4-ounce Pickle Smoothie in stores only while supplies last.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial.—
TIME,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
-
And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forces. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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