Showing results for coerce. Search instead for coerects.

Synonyms

coerce

American

[koh-urs] / koʊˈɜrs /

verb (used with object)

to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard for individual desire or volition.

They coerced him into signing the document.
to bring about through the use of force or other forms of compulsion; exact.

to coerce obedience.
to dominate or control, especially by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc..

The state is based on successfully coercing the individual.

coerce British

/ kəʊˈɜːs /

verb

(tr) to compel or restrain by force or authority without regard to individual wishes or desires

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

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Past

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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.

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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.

"If he were to adopt an unfriendly stance -- demanding concessions from China or attempting to coerce us into doing things we are unwilling to do, we would strike back with force," Wen told AFP.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

It would be just as unethical for a therapist to use treatment to pressure someone into being LGBTQ+ as it is to use treatment to coerce someone out of being such an identity.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

It is manufactured scarcity designed to coerce consumers into a single brokerage’s ecosystem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

It’s the exact opposite of what you truly want, but your husband has allowed his brother and sister-in-law to coerce and/or guilt-trip your husband into an unwelcome financial arrangement.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026

For it purported to create a consolidated federal government with powers sufficient to coerce obedience to national laws—in effect, to discipline a truly continental union—while remaining true to the republican principles of 1776.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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