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Synonyms

brute force

Idioms  

  1. Also, brute strength. Savage violence, unreasoning strength, as in We hope that reason will triumph over brute force. Although this expression is also used literally to mean exceptional physical power, the figurative sense reflects the origin for brute, which comes from Latin brutus, for “heavy, stupid, unreasoning.” [First half of 1700s]

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.

South Africa have long relied on fast bowlers of rare quality, but this attack has evolved beyond brute force.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2025

And by the sheer brute force of its size, bond markets force both the subjects of its wrath, and the investors that rely on them, into submission.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

But, he added, “I don’t believe that you take this brute force, across-the-board approach to AI in the business.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 8, 2025

In an aptly titled Associated Press news story “Trump moves with light speed and brute force in shaking the core of what America has been”, Calvin Woodward recounts the last six weeks:

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2025

Next thing I remember was me spinning like a top— then shooting upward, launched by some invisible brute force.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.