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
Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2026
The precarious state of her mind forces us to question whether Sylvia and Ted are ghosts, hallucinations or literary inventions sprung to life.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
When the younger Cathy is a teenager, Heathcliff kidnaps her and forces her to marry the younger Linton (her first cousin), while simultaneously preventing her from seeing her dying father.
—Becky Little, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
The experience forces her character to rethink her views on love.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
This situation forces people to seek care outside of their network, often at higher out-of-pocket costs.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 13 Feb. 2026
That requirement forces a wide building footprint, which in turn requires larger parcels.
—Waleed Albakry, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
The detritus of the birthday party forces her to look back — perhaps uncomfortably, if only fleetingly, for a woman whose career is all about momentum.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
The question is whether the severity of the situation forces a rethink.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
Bhusri founded Workday with best friend and mentor Dave Duffield in 2005 before the two joined forces as co-CEOs in 2009.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
In reality, the project and its progressive defenders fed those forces rather than clarified them.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Trapped in a conflict between their homeowners association and supernatural forces, the pair must fight for survival in what the filmmakers describe as a horror-comedy take on contemporary housing anxieties.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
So to report on those killed by security forces, NBC News relied on sources outside Iran who were in touch with the families of victims inside the country.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
These forces are colliding, and the consequences are playing out in markets, workplaces, and societies around the world.
—Alan H.h. Fleischmann, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
For the next three years, American forces—including approximately 10,000 American Indian soldiers—along with troops from 15 other nations, fought to prevent a Communist takeover.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
America’s first transgender member of Congress and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are joining forces to highlight girls’ fundamental rights at the Munich Security Conference.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
Said quest forces her to reexamine a revelatory affair with an RAF pilot, and consider how their engagement’s cruel ending set her on the path to a different sort of fulfillment.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2026
The precarious state of her mind forces us to question whether Sylvia and Ted are ghosts, hallucinations or literary inventions sprung to life.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
When the younger Cathy is a teenager, Heathcliff kidnaps her and forces her to marry the younger Linton (her first cousin), while simultaneously preventing her from seeing her dying father.
—Becky Little, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
The experience forces her character to rethink her views on love.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
This situation forces people to seek care outside of their network, often at higher out-of-pocket costs.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 13 Feb. 2026
That requirement forces a wide building footprint, which in turn requires larger parcels.
—Waleed Albakry, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
The detritus of the birthday party forces her to look back — perhaps uncomfortably, if only fleetingly, for a woman whose career is all about momentum.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
The question is whether the severity of the situation forces a rethink.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
Palestinian militants have also attacked Israeli forces.
—Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
Bhusri founded Workday with best friend and mentor Dave Duffield in 2005 before the two joined forces as co-CEOs in 2009.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
In reality, the project and its progressive defenders fed those forces rather than clarified them.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
Trapped in a conflict between their homeowners association and supernatural forces, the pair must fight for survival in what the filmmakers describe as a horror-comedy take on contemporary housing anxieties.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
So to report on those killed by security forces, NBC News relied on sources outside Iran who were in touch with the families of victims inside the country.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
These forces are colliding, and the consequences are playing out in markets, workplaces, and societies around the world.
—Alan H.h. Fleischmann, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
For the next three years, American forces—including approximately 10,000 American Indian soldiers—along with troops from 15 other nations, fought to prevent a Communist takeover.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
America’s first transgender member of Congress and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are joining forces to highlight girls’ fundamental rights at the Munich Security Conference.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
Verb
-
But anyone subcontracting tasks to AI is clever enough to imagine what might come next—a day when augmentation crosses into automation, and cognitive obsolescence compels them to seek work at a food truck, pet spa, or massage table.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This same self-centeredness compels his girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby) to move out of their modest apartment without warning.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This violates the 4th Amendment, which protects people (including noncitizens) from unreasonable searches and seizures in their homes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The International Olympic Committee said the helmet violates its rules on athlete expression during competition.—
Mike Wilson,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Using lawsuits and threats of boycotts, Jackson pressured top corporations to spend millions and publicly commit to diversifying their workforces.—
Sophia Tareen,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Investors are worried that if companies get paid by the seat, the number of seats must be declining because AI will enable companies to cut workforces.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
With similar pressures and temperatures to those found at Earth’s surface, Venus, up above its cloud-tops, might already be home to simple but hardy microbial life forms.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Shares of Arm, which went public in 2023, have also faced broader tech market pressures in the lead-up to earnings and are down 4% year-to-date.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some people taking part in recent walkouts and demonstrations have encountered police skirmish lines, arrests.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Choudri’s attorney told The Times that police were called to Choudri’s home by a third-party and that prosecutors did not file charges in the case.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Hospitals are so poorly equipped that patients are asked to provide supplies needed for their care, from syringes to surgical screws.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Gripped by a worsening economic crisis, Cuba’s government recently adopted rationing measures to protect essential services and ration fuel supplies for key sectors.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 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
-
The two have always had an uneasy relationship, but in the series' first episode, Constance’s son Willem (Toby Hemingway) rapes Fiona’s daughter Dahlia (Diana Silvers), and is murdered by the Nolan family because of it.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Soon after police arrested Bernardo for the Scarborough rapes, he and Homolka were also linked to the murders of three teenage girls between 1990 and 1992, according to CTV News.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forces. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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