duress

[ doo-res, dyoo-, door-is, dyoor- ]

/ dʊˈrɛs, dyʊ-, ˈdʊər ɪs, ˈdyʊər- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR duress ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Words nearby duress

durazzo, durban, durban poison, durbar, dure, duress, 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

1 intimidation, pressure, bullying, browbeating.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR duress ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for duress

In moments of duress, a different self manifests with acts of destruction: unleashed id in Freudian, or Incredible Hulk, terms.
A Different Kind of Vietnam Story|J.T. Price|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under “fear, threats, and duress,” Egan says he signed the form, “a false declaration denying any childhood sexual abuse” by Doe.
New Hollywood Sex Scandal: Bryan Singer’s Accuser Files Another Suit|Tim Teeman|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the sense of duress surrounding the regime this time around seems especially pronounced.
Syria’s Prime Minister Defects to Rebels|Mike Giglio|August 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Upon these grounds Panama claimed that she was a sovereign state temporarily under the duress of a superior government.
The Panama Canal|Frederic Jennings Haskin

The social influences of Washington were called into polite requisition and the Mayor, under this duress, withdrew his sanction.
Lincoln, the Politician|T. Aaron Levy
A little smile escaped from the duress of Alma's lips and twitched her dimples.
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1907 to 1908|Lucy Maud Montgomery
The resistance of the woman must be to the utmost of her power, but if she yield through fear or duress it is still rape.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology|W. G. Aitchison Robertson
Where fraud or duress is used in obtaining a party's consent to a contract, the contract is at least voidable.
Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration, v. 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

duress

noun

Content related to duress

Words related to duress

Words nearby duress

Origin of duress

SYNONYMS FOR duress

Examples from the Web for duress

British Dictionary definitions for duress

noun

Word Origin for duress