deforce
Americanverb (used with object)
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to withhold (property, especially land) by force or violence, as from the rightful owner.
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to eject or evict by force.
verb
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to withhold (property, esp land) wrongfully or by force from the rightful owner
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to eject or keep forcibly from possession of property
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deforce
1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French deforcer, Old French de ( s ) forcier, equivalent to de ( s )- de- + forc ( i ) er to force
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.
Two nights later, the company presented an even more stunning tour deforce, a balletic version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
