force

American  

[fawrs] / fɔrs /

noun

• forces
  plural

1. physical power or strength possessed by a living being.

   He used all his force in opening the window.

2. strength or power exerted upon a person; physical coercion; violence.

   The campus police are legally authorized to use force to defend themselves or others.

3. strength; energy; power; intensity.

   She had a personality of great force that helped her succeed as a leader.

   Synonyms:

   vigor

4. power to influence, affect, or control; efficacious power.

   They were strangers brought together by the force of circumstances.

   UNESCO is calling on countries to increase political commitment to education as a force for inclusion.

   Synonyms:

   authority, influence, constraint

5. Law. unlawful violence threatened or committed against persons or property.

6. persuasive power; power to convince.

   They felt the force of his arguments.

   Synonyms:

   validity, potency, cogency, effectiveness, efficacy

   Antonyms:

   impotence

7. mental or moral strength.

   It requires great force of character to go against the crowd.

8. might, as of a ruler or realm; strength for war.

   The government hoped a show of force at sea would prevent an invasion by scaring off the opposing side.

9. Often forces or Forces the people and resources that make up the military, especially of a nation.

   After the surrender, the invaders withdrew the majority of their forces, but left garrisons in place.

10. Often the force or the Force the police force.

    She was a police officer for twenty years, but retired from the force a year ago.

11. any body of persons combined for joint action.

    We have a sales force of one hundred people spread all across the state.

12. intensity or strength of effect.

    The force of her acting was such that I nearly forgot I was watching a film.

13. Physics.

    1. an influence on a body or system, producing or tending to produce a change in movement or in shape or other effects.

    2. the intensity of such an influence. F, f

14. any influence or agency analogous to physical force.

    Two powerful social forces, consumerism and economic anxiety, are clashing as a recession looms.

15. binding power, as of a contract or law.

    The The Data Protection Act 2018 was passed by the British Parliament in 2016 and came into force on May 25, 2018.

16. value; significance; meaning.

    The force of his message was lost on me—I didn't understand a word he said.

17. Baseball. force play.

18. Billiards. a sharp stroke hitting a cue ball directly below the center in such a manner as to cause it to stop abruptly, bound back, or roll off to one side after hitting the object ball.

19. the Force, in the fictional Star Wars universe, a metaphysical energy that connects all living things and can be used for feats such as telekinesis, telepathy, influencing the minds of others, etc.

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verb (used with object)

• forces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forced,
  past participle,  past
• forcing
  present participle

1. to compel, constrain, or oblige (oneself or another person) to do something.

   They lied to force the suspect to confess.

   Synonyms:

   coerce

2. to drive or propel against resistance.

   He forced his way through the crowd.

   They forced air into his lungs.

3. to bring about or effect by force.

   The general's gunboats attacked the fort on February 6, and forced a surrender.

4. to bring about from necessity or as a necessary result.

   Raising interest rates is one of the most reliable ways to force a slowdown in the housing market.

5. to bring about (a reaction, emotion, etc.) against natural inclination.

   She had to force a smile in the midst of her sadness.

   He forced a laugh at his companion's terrible joke.

6. to put or impose (something or someone) forcibly on a person.

   His habit of forcing his opinions on others made him difficult to work with.

7. to compel by force; overcome resistance to (an action or practice).

   During this period of religious instability in England, monarchs tried to force acceptance of their chosen church through law.

8. to obtain or draw forth by or as if by force; extort.

   They forced a testimony out of the reluctant witness.

9. to break open (a door, lock, etc.).

   The thieves forced the lock, so we'll have to completely replace it.

10. to cause (plants, fruits, etc.) to grow or mature at an increased rate by artificial means.

    You can force rhubarb for an earlier harvest by covering the crowns in the late winter.

11. to enter or take by force; overpower.

    They forced the town after a long siege.

    Synonyms:

    rape, plunder, violate, overcome

12. to press, urge, or exert to violent effort or to the utmost.

    The auctioneer displays refreshing charm and wit as he forces the bidding and drives the price higher and higher.

13. to use force upon.

14. rape.

15. Baseball.

    1. to cause (a base runner) to be put out by obliging the runner, as by a ground ball, to vacate a base and attempt to move to the next base in order to make room for another runner or the batter.

    2. to cause (a base runner or run) to score, as by walking a batter with the bases full (often followed byin ).

16. Cards.

    1. to compel (a player) to trump by leading a suit of which the player has no cards.

    2. to compel a player to play (a particular card).

    3. to compel (a player) to play so as to make known the strength of the hand.

17. Photography.

    1. to develop (a print or negative) for longer than usual in order to increase density or bring out details.

    2. to bring out underexposed parts of (a print or negative) by adding alkali to the developer.

18. Archaic. to give force to; strengthen; reinforce.

verb (used without object)

• forces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forced,
  past participle,  past
• forcing
  present participle

1. to make one's way by force.

   He saw her car force through the crowd.

idioms

1. in force,

   1. in operation; effective.

      This ancient rule is no longer in force.

   2. in large numbers; at full strength.

      They attacked in force.

force ¹ British  

/ fɔːs /

noun

1. (in northern England) a waterfall

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force ² British  

/ fɔːs /

noun

1. strength or energy; might; power

   the force of the blow

   a gale of great force

2. exertion or the use of exertion against a person or thing that resists; coercion

3. physics

   1. a dynamic influence that changes a body from a state of rest to one of motion or changes its rate of motion. The magnitude of the force is equal to the product of the mass of the body and its acceleration

   2. F. a static influence that produces an elastic strain in a body or system or bears weight

4. physics any operating influence that produces or tends to produce a change in a physical quantity

   electromotive force

   coercive force

5. 1. intellectual, social, political, or moral influence or strength

      the force of his argument

      the forces of evil

   2. a person or thing with such influence

      he was a force in the land

6. vehemence or intensity

   he spoke with great force

7. a group of persons organized for military or police functions

   armed forces

8. informal (sometimes capital) the police force

9. a group of persons organized for particular duties or tasks

   a workforce

10. criminal law violence unlawfully committed or threatened

11. philosophy logic that which an expression is normally used to achieve See speech act illocution perlocution

12. 1. (of a law) having legal validity or binding effect

    2. in great strength or numbers

13. to combine strengths, efforts, etc

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verb

1. to compel or cause (a person, group, etc) to do something through effort, superior strength, etc; coerce

2. to acquire, secure, or produce through effort, superior strength, etc

   to force a confession

3. to propel or drive despite resistance

   to force a nail into wood

4. to break down or open (a lock, safe, door, etc)

5. to impose or inflict

   he forced his views on them

6. to cause (plants or farm animals) to grow or fatten artificially at an increased rate

7. to strain or exert to the utmost

   to force the voice

8. to rape; ravish

9. cards

   1. to compel (a player) to trump in order to take a trick

   2. to compel a player by the lead of a particular suit to play (a certain card)

   3. (in bridge) to induce (a bid) from one's partner by bidding in a certain way

10. to make oneself smile

11. to compel an aircraft to land

12. to adopt a high speed or rate of procedure

force Scientific  

/ fôrs /

1. Any of various factors that cause a body to change its speed, direction, or shape. Force is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction. Contributions of force from different sources can be summed to give the net force at any given point.

2. Any of the four natural phenomena involving the interaction between particles of matter. From the strongest to the weakest, the four forces are the strong nuclear force, the electromagnetic force, the weak nuclear force, and gravity.

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force Cultural  

1. In physics, something that causes a change in the motion of an object. The modern definition of force (an object's mass multiplied by its acceleration) was given by Isaac Newton in Newton's laws of motion. The most familiar unit of force is the pound. (See mechanics.)

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force More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing force

• brute force
• driving force
• in force
• join forces
• reckon with (force to be reckoned with)

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Synonym Usage

See strength.

Discover More

Gravity, and therefore weight, is a kind of force.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• forcer
  noun
• interforce
  noun
• overforce
  noun
• overforce
  verb
• forceable
  adjective
• forceless
  adjective
• unforceable
  adjective
• unforcing
  adjective
• forcingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forces
  plural

Participles

• forcing
  present
• forced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• force
  simple
• forces
  simple
• have forced
  perfect
• has forced
  perfect
• am forcing
  progressive
• are forcing
  progressive
• is forcing
  progressive
• have been forcing
  perfect progressive
• has been forcing
  perfect progressive

Past

• forced
  simple
• had forced
  perfect
• was forcing
  progressive
• were forcing
  progressive
• had been forcing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will force
  simple
• will have forced
  perfect
• will be forcing
  progressive
• will have been forcing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of force

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English force, fors, from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin fortia, derivative of Latin fortis “strong”; verb derivative of the noun

Explanation

Force describes a physical energy that can be seen or felt. If you've ever walked outside in a blizzard, you've experienced the force, or strength, of the wind. May the force be with you! Force has other meanings as well. A powerful person can exert a force just by using particular words or body language. Written words can exert a force, or have a strong influence, on your opinion. As a verb, force means to make something happen using physical strength or some other powerful effort, which is what you do when you try to force a square peg into a round hole through vigorous pounding. And of course, in the Star Wars movie franchise, the force refers to the mystical energy contained in all living things. May that definition of this word always be with you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

force forces forced forcing

The defense tech company is known for using manufacturing innovation, software and a commercial labor force to reduce production time and expense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

He thanked members of the public who have already contacted the force, but asked if anyone had information that could assist the investigation to get in touch.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

They see police as offering a crucial deterrent and emergency response force to threats from outside a campus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 44 of the 70 cruise or ballistic missiles and 117 of the 130 drones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

They think of the cortex as a chamber holding a formless cloud or jelly driven by a mysterious "vital force."

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Top Fuel drivers need lightning-fast reactions and the physical endurance to withstand the intense forces.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

"Ten thousand sorties, 23,000 combat flight hours, almost 4,000 combat sorties," he said, later announcing the award of a presidential unit citation to the strike group for "extraordinary heroism against enemy forces."

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Helga’s unrequited love for Arnold became one of the driving forces of the show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Conflict in the Arabian peninsula is escalating after Saudi-backed forces launched a counteroffensive to retake territory along the Red Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The forces include 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by more than 195,000 naval personnel from eight countries.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

He told the BBC that the fear of being forced out of Gaza now follows him even into his dreams.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The administration’s focus on forced labor is a welcome one, said Samir Goswami, director of forced-labor programs at Hague-based Global Rights Compliance, which works with governments and international institutions to promote international law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"And the advice we give to countries is to be very careful of how they deploy their very limited fiscal capacity," she said, adding that some countries may be forced "to rely on external financing".

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

These may be sold at price discounts as managers of longer-term funds are forced to sell before maturity in order to keep their portfolios’ durations above their own mandated levels.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

An intertitle appeared on the screen: You know how they forced me to give you up!

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

But the island is on the cusp of being evacuated as water levels drop to the lowest levels ever, forcing residents to take drastic measures to ensure supplies do not run out.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Brussels last month also proposed forcing companies to make AI companions and chatbots safe before children use them.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Army, which saw the animal’s demise as a means of forcing Plains tribes onto reservations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

They took Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Phillies but lost Game 2 in extra innings, forcing a winner-take-all Game 3.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Nobody occupying nearby space forcing him to stay aware.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• cause
• charge
• compel
• demand
• drag
• drive
• impose
• inflict
• limit
• make
• move
• oblige
• order
• press
• pressure
• require
• restrict
• urge