coercion

American  

[koh-ur-shuhn] / koʊˈɜr ʃən /

noun

1. the act of coercing; use of force or intimidation to obtain compliance.

2. force or the power to use force in gaining compliance, as by a government or police force.

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coercion British  

/ kəʊˈɜːsɪv, kəʊˈɜːʃən /

noun

1. the act or power of coercing

2. government by force

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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”; see 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.

Example Sentences

“Just as many didn’t know the U.S. had all these tools for economic coercion, China is now saying, ‘look, we’ve prepared a bag of tricks too,’” said Damien Ma, director of research center Carnegie China.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Many of these rulings—including Stone itself—wove Lemon together with other First Amendment principles, like the prohibition against religious coercion in public education.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

China denied coercion, while praising the three African countries saying it had "high appreciation" for them.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

The calamities each couple faces spin out into a web of favors and coercion in this tale of broken systems and characters going to great lengths to get what they want.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Chandresh was more than willing to let him organize the lighting, having already deemed him invaluable to the circus planning with only mild coercion.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• duress
• intimidation
• persuasion