Billiards. a stroke in which the cue ball is forcibly struck 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.
verb (used with object),forced,forc·ing.
to compel, constrain, or oblige (oneself or someone) to do something: to force a suspect to confess.
to drive or propel against resistance: He forced his way through the crowd. They forced air into his lungs.
to bring about or effect by force.
to bring about of necessity or as a necessary result: to force a smile.
to put or impose (something or someone) forcibly on or upon a person: to force one's opinions on others.
to compel by force; overcome the resistance of: to force acceptance of something.
to obtain or draw forth by or as if by force; extort: to force a confession.
to enter or take by force; overpower: They forced the town after a long siege.
to break open (a door, lock, etc.).
to cause (plants, fruits, etc.) to grow or mature at an increased rate by artificial means.
to press, urge, or exert (an animal, person, etc.) to violent effort or to the utmost.
to use force upon.
to rape.
Baseball.
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.
to cause (a base runner or run) to score, as by walking a batter with the bases full (often followed by in).
Cards.
to compel (a player) to trump by leading a suit of which the player has no cards.
to compel a player to play (a particular card).
to compel (a player) to play so as to make known the strength of the hand.
Photography.
to develop (a print or negative) for longer than usual in order to increase density or bring out details.
to bring out underexposed parts of (a print or negative) by adding alkali to the developer.
Archaic. to give force to; strengthen; reinforce.
verb (used without object),forced,forc·ing.
to make one's way by force.
Idioms
in force,
in operation; effective: This ancient rule is no longer in force.
in large numbers; at full strength: They attacked in force.
Origin of force
1250–1300; (noun) Middle English < Middle French < Vulgar Latin*fortia, derivative of Latinfortis strong; (v.) Middle Englishforcen < Anglo-French,Old Frenchforcer, derivative of the noun
Related formsforce·a·ble, adjectiveforce·less, adjectiveforc·er, nounforc·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·force, nouno·ver·force, nouno·ver·force, verb,o·ver·forced,o·ver·forc·ing.un·force·a·ble, adjectiveun·forc·ing, adjectiveCan be confusedcoercecompelconstrainforceoblige
strength or energy; might; powerthe force of the blow; a gale of great force
exertion or the use of exertion against a person or thing that resists; coercion
physics
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
a static influence that produces an elastic strain in a body or system or bears weightSymbol: F
physicsany operating influence that produces or tends to produce a change in a physical quantityelectromotive force; coercive force
intellectual, social, political, or moral influence or strengththe force of his argument; the forces of evil
a person or thing with such influencehe was a force in the land
vehemence or intensityhe spoke with great force
a group of persons organized for military or police functionsarmed forces
the force(sometimes capital)informalthe police force
a group of persons organized for particular duties or tasksa workforce
criminal lawviolence unlawfully committed or threatened
"not spontaneous or voluntary," 1570s, past participle adjective from force (v.). The flier's forced landing attested by 1917.
force
n.
c.1300, "physical strength," from Old French force (12c.) "force, strength, courage, fortitude; violence, power, compulsion," from Vulgar Latin *fortia (cf. Spanish fuerza, Italian forza), noun use of neuter plural of Latin fortis "strong" (see fort). Meaning "body of armed men, army" first recorded late 14c. (also in Old French). Physics sense is from 1660s; force field attested by 1920.
force
v.
c.1300, from Old French forcier "conquer by violence," from force (see force (n.)). Its earliest sense in English was "to ravish" (a woman); sense of "to compel, oblige" to do something is from c.1400. Related: Forced; forcing.
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.
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.
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. (Seemechanics.)
Note
Gravity, and therefore weight, is a kind of force.
