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
ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026
Lomax, sensing his happiness, forces its end, depriving Stoner of this brief joy.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Maris re-ignites a relationship with Alex, a devoted old flame whose growing love for Maxy forces her to make a deadly choice.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 May 2026
The executive order forces us to engage with it rather than repeat the same concerns from the sidelines.
—Peter S. Hendricks, STAT, 6 May 2026
One day, Sylvie takes Suzanna, age nine, to the bank that her mother robbed, forces her to go inside on her own, and then inexplicably drives away.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
How can anyone intentionally take medicine that forces you to need diaper?
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
That forces short-term thinking when communities need long-term investment.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
In response, California Coast Credit Union had asked the court to issue an injunction, a legal ruling that forces an action, for the merger to push ahead against the objections of SDCCU.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 May 2026
In the past few years, Russia, at an enormous cost to its own forces, made steady advances on the battlefield (most estimates suggest more than a million Russian soldiers have been killed or injured since the start of the conflict).
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Iranian forces also launched drones and missiles during the confrontation, the officials said.
—CBS News, 8 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
The bill would largely bar the introduction of ground forces and would specify how force could be used in Iran.
—Arkansas Online, 8 May 2026
Researchers say this helps the robot distinguish between its own movement and outside forces, something that has long challenged soft robotics.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026
The statement underscores the ideological intensity imposed on North Korean forces, whose loyalty to the regime appears to extend beyond combat to self-destruction.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Bérenice Bejo and Nassim Lyes reprise their respective roles of marine scientist Sophia and river police commander Adil who previously joined forces when killer sharks arrived in the Seine in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics triathlon swimming heats in the famed river.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 May 2026
Verb
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
Maris re-ignites a relationship with Alex, a devoted old flame whose growing love for Maxy forces her to make a deadly choice.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 May 2026
The executive order forces us to engage with it rather than repeat the same concerns from the sidelines.
—Peter S. Hendricks, STAT, 6 May 2026
One day, Sylvie takes Suzanna, age nine, to the bank that her mother robbed, forces her to go inside on her own, and then inexplicably drives away.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
How can anyone intentionally take medicine that forces you to need diaper?
—Literary Hub, 4 May 2026
That forces short-term thinking when communities need long-term investment.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
In response, California Coast Credit Union had asked the court to issue an injunction, a legal ruling that forces an action, for the merger to push ahead against the objections of SDCCU.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 May 2026
Noun
American forces disabled another vessel on Wednesday.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 May 2026
In the past few years, Russia, at an enormous cost to its own forces, made steady advances on the battlefield (most estimates suggest more than a million Russian soldiers have been killed or injured since the start of the conflict).
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Iranian forces also launched drones and missiles during the confrontation, the officials said.
—CBS News, 8 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
The bill would largely bar the introduction of ground forces and would specify how force could be used in Iran.
—Arkansas Online, 8 May 2026
Researchers say this helps the robot distinguish between its own movement and outside forces, something that has long challenged soft robotics.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026
The statement underscores the ideological intensity imposed on North Korean forces, whose loyalty to the regime appears to extend beyond combat to self-destruction.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Bérenice Bejo and Nassim Lyes reprise their respective roles of marine scientist Sophia and river police commander Adil who previously joined forces when killer sharks arrived in the Seine in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics triathlon swimming heats in the famed river.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
Verb
-
Yet the Gospel compels us to do just that.—
William E. Lori,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Perhaps that’s what compels me, somewhere in the middle of our lunch, to unmask.—
Zeba Blay,
SELF,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The second problem with a moratorium on calling your opponents authoritarian is that Trump himself routinely violates it.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Critics and rights groups have said the DHS campaign violates due process and free speech.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
While many large payroll companies, investment firms, fintech platforms, and software products sought to reduce the human element of their workforces systematically, George took the exact opposite approach.—
Nick Franck,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
While the Chinese model reduces upfront budget pressures on fiscally-strained African states, governments across the continent will now rely heavily on a small number of firms for hardware maintenance, modernization, and training.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
-
The show has always tried to make sense of America not just through the headlines, but through the people, pressures and forces shaping everyday life.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The police have had to usher people along for lingering in front of the steps.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
5 May 2026
-
The shooting occurred near 15th Street and Independence Avenue, a few blocks from the White House, during a confrontation between an armed individual and Secret Service police, according to the Secret Service.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
How the debt was discovered The unpaid water bills are the latest problem to pop up for the hospitals, which struggled to buy supplies, repair equipment, and pay vendors and staff on time long before Steward Health declared bankruptcy in 2024.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
-
The nonprofit, which offers diapers and other supplies to families experiencing homelessness and poverty, manufactures its own diapers, according to a fact sheet provided to reporters.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
8 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 10 May. 2026.
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