coerce
Americanverb (used with object)
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coerces,
present (3rd person singular)
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coerced,
past participle, past
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coercing
present participle
-
to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard for individual desire or volition.
They coerced him into signing the document.
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to bring about through the use of force or other forms of compulsion; exact.
to coerce obedience.
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to dominate or control, especially by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc..
The state is based on successfully coercing the individual.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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coercesimple
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coercessimple
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have coercedperfect
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has coercedperfect
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am coercingprogressive
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are coercingprogressive
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is coercingprogressive
-
have been coercingperfect progressive
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has been coercingperfect progressive
Past
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coercedsimple
-
had coercedperfect
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was coercingprogressive
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were coercingprogressive
-
had been coercingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coerce
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin coercēre “to hold in, restrain,” equivalent to co- co- + -ercēre, combining form of arcēre “to keep in, keep away,” akin to arca ark
Explanation
You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You can coerce — or pressure — someone to attend your office holiday party, but you can't make him have fun. If you're at a point where you feel like you need to coerce someone into doing something, it might be more civilized to just give up. To coerce is to manipulate, use aggressive arguments, pressure unfairly, or threaten — really, this isn't very civilized behavior, is it? Handy synonyms for this verb include force and pressure. In a gangster film, you might hear a character say he "put the squeeze" on someone — another way of saying he coerced them.
Vocabulary lists containing coerce
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The renewed American campaign to block Iran’s oil shipments has set up a contest in which both Washington and Tehran are attempting to use economic pressure to coerce the other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Therefore, it is more likely and perhaps beneficial if England apply some pressure, looking to coerce Norway into playing in a way they have prepared for.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Vullo, in which the court held that the government cannot use informal tactics, like thinly-veiled threats of selective enforcement or demands for cooperation, to coerce private actors.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz quashed the “unlawful” subpoenas, ruling that “overwhelming evidence” suggested they “were not issued to investigate, but to harass, coerce, and retaliate.”
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026
That meant a vigorous federal government with sufficient powers to coerce the citizenry to pay taxes and obey the laws.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Another federal law prohibits voter intimidation, with up to a yearlong prison sentence for anybody who intimidates, threatens, or coerces somebody else with the purpose of interfering with another person’s right to vote.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We’re both familiar with what can happen and what has happened, when the state coerces people and restricts fundamental human rights, on a very personal level,” Howald said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025
Lawsuits also say the program unconstitutionally coerces drugmakers into selling their products at inadequate prices.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 30, 2023
Just do not be surprised when your sister-in-law ignores any handwritten invitations and coerces you into sending text reminders anyway.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2023
He avoids the ballroom entirely, save for a single waltz when Tsukiko coerces him onto the dance floor.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Walters’ supporters further argue that Oxford’s statements implicating Walters—as well as Travis’ testimony against him—were tainted, the result of the men being coerced by police and angling for lighter sentences.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
In 2005, the California government formally apologized for these forced removals, recognizing they were “fundamental violations of … basic civil liberties and constitutional rights” during a period “of illegal deportation and coerced emigration.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The scandal saw the mothers, including many who were teenagers, coerced into giving up their children, with social, institutional and family pressures used to persuade them that adoption was their only option.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
The patients I know who contributed to the hospital to “honor” their doctor were certainly not coerced.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
But in the darkness, while my teeth were slowly coerced into straightness, the rest of my face had begun to give in to a stronger, genetic predisposition toward crookedness.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
“Detaining people and not giving them the chance to get out of detention is a way of coercing people to give up their claims.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
"The observers do not allege any verbal instruction or physical conduct that indicated one person was directing or coercing another regarding how to vote."
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
At times “strategic ambiguity” can be a useful tool for coercing foes to act in certain ways or even to step down from power.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2025
The board had alleged that the company had been “interfering with, restraining and coercing employees in the exercise of their rights.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
I don't like threats, even veiled ones, and nobody ever succeeded in coercing me.
From Thurston of Orchard Valley by W. Herbert Dunton
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