coercion
Americannoun
-
the act of coercing; use of force or intimidation to obtain compliance.
-
force or the power to use force in gaining compliance, as by a government or police force.
noun
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the act or power of coercing
-
government by force
Other Word Forms
- coercionary adjective
- coercionist noun
- coercive adjective
- coercively adverb
- coerciveness noun
- noncoercion noun
- procoercion adjective
Etymology
Origin of coercion
First recorded in 1515–25; from Medieval Latin coerciōn- stem of coerciō, shortened from coercitiō, from coercit(us) “restrained” (past participle of coercēre “to hold in, restrain”; coerce ) + -iō -ion; replacing late Middle English cohercion, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Coercion is making something happen by force, like when bullies use coercion to make kids give them their lunch money. Coercion can be a threat, "The shady lawyer uses coercion when he threatens to get the waiter fired if he doesn't rat out his boss," or it can be actual brute force, as when the gangster breaks the messenger's leg to keep her from talking to the police. The police might use coercion, too, to get a confession. The prefix co- is derived from the Latin word for "together." So you can't use coercion on yourself; you need someone else to force into doing something.
Vocabulary lists containing coercion
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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President Trump's Second State of the Union Address (2019)
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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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.
I find Ms. Stefanik’s defense of this and other forms of coercion mostly convincing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
To prove undue influence, coercion and the lack of testamentary capacity, you would need doctor’s reports and a paper trail of evidence to make your case.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
There have also been glimpses of how China could use economic coercion.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
Washington and its partners, they say, should use the window to build a comprehensive deterrence strategy that addresses nonmilitary coercion as effectively as it does conventional conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
