duress
[ doo-res, dyoo-, door-is, dyoor- ]
/ dʊˈrɛs, dyʊ-, ˈdʊər ɪs, ˈdyʊər- /
noun
compulsion by threat or force; coercion; constraint.
Law. such constraint or coercion as will render void a contract or other legal act entered or performed under its influence.
forcible restraint, especially imprisonment.
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RELATED WORDS
coercion, control, discipline, imprisonment, force, bondage, restraint, violence, detention, constraint, pressure, confinement, incarceration, compulsion, captivity
Nearby words
- durazzo,
- durban,
- durban poison,
- durbar,
- dure,
- duressor,
- durex,
- durga,
- durga puja,
- durgah
Origin of duress
1275–1325; Middle English duresse < Middle French duresse, -esce, -ece < Latin dūritia hardness, harshness, oppression, equivalent to dūr(us) hard + -itia -ice
SYNONYMS FOR duress
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for duress
duress
/ (djʊˈrɛs, djʊə-) /
noun
compulsion by use of force or threat; constraint; coercion (often in the phrase under duress)
law the illegal exercise of coercion
confinement; imprisonment
Word Origin for duress
C14: from Old French duresse, from Latin dūritia hardness, from dūrus hard
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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