coerce
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have coercedperfect
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has coercedperfect 3rd person singular
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is coercingprogressive 3rd person singular
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coercessingular 3rd person
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are coercingprogressive
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have been coercingperfect progressive
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has been coercingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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coercingparticiple
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am coercingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had coercedperfect
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were coercingprogressive plural
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coercedsimple
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coercedparticiple
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had been coercingperfect progressive
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was coercingprogressive singular
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.
Seong-Hyon Lee, a visiting scholar at the Harvard University Asia Center, also said Beijing is shifting towards "underwriting regime durability" rather than seeking to coerce North Korea into denuclearisation.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
"The approach now is to try and befriend people, rather than coerce them."
From BBC • May 20, 2026
Mr. Fabian’s accurate reporting had cost a particular set of bettors their wagers, and they were trying to coerce him into rewriting reality so that the market would resolve their way.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 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
Though the performance must be spectacular in order to coerce the best reactions.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
