coerce
Americanverb (used with object)
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coerces,
present (3rd person singular)
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coerced,
past participle, past
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coercing
present participle
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to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard for individual desire or volition.
They coerced him into signing the document.
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to bring about through the use of force or other forms of compulsion; exact.
to coerce obedience.
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to dominate or control, especially by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc..
The state is based on successfully coercing the individual.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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coercesimple
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coercessimple
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have coercedperfect
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has coercedperfect
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am coercingprogressive
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are coercingprogressive
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is coercingprogressive
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have been coercingperfect progressive
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has been coercingperfect progressive
Past
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coercedsimple
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had coercedperfect
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was coercingprogressive
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were coercingprogressive
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had been coercingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of coerce
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin coercēre “to hold in, restrain,” equivalent to co- co- + -ercēre, combining form of arcēre “to keep in, keep away,” akin to arca ark
Explanation
You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. You can coerce — or pressure — someone to attend your office holiday party, but you can't make him have fun. If you're at a point where you feel like you need to coerce someone into doing something, it might be more civilized to just give up. To coerce is to manipulate, use aggressive arguments, pressure unfairly, or threaten — really, this isn't very civilized behavior, is it? Handy synonyms for this verb include force and pressure. In a gangster film, you might hear a character say he "put the squeeze" on someone — another way of saying he coerced them.
Vocabulary lists containing coerce
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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.
See Examples For:
Did your sister-in-law coerce or somehow pressure him into paying off her $50,000 debt?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
A fast, he insisted, was not blackmail but an act of suffering intended to awaken rather than coerce.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Vullo, in which the court held that the government cannot use informal tactics, like thinly-veiled threats of selective enforcement or demands for cooperation, to coerce private actors.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
It would be just as unethical for a therapist to use treatment to pressure someone into being LGBTQ+ as it is to use treatment to coerce someone out of being such an identity.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2026
That meant a vigorous federal government with sufficient powers to coerce the citizenry to pay taxes and obey the laws.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Another federal law prohibits voter intimidation, with up to a yearlong prison sentence for anybody who intimidates, threatens, or coerces somebody else with the purpose of interfering with another person’s right to vote.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
“We’re both familiar with what can happen and what has happened, when the state coerces people and restricts fundamental human rights, on a very personal level,” Howald said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025
Lawsuits also say the program unconstitutionally coerces drugmakers into selling their products at inadequate prices.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 30, 2023
Just do not be surprised when your sister-in-law ignores any handwritten invitations and coerces you into sending text reminders anyway.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2023
He avoids the ballroom entirely, save for a single waltz when Tsukiko coerces him onto the dance floor.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
People in prison confess to crimes, regardless of innocence, for any manner of reasons: because they are coerced, because their memories are unclear, to curry favor, for attention.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
The paper says that the proposal's opponents argued that the bill's safeguards would not be enough to protect vulnerable people from being coerced.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Iglesias, 82, called the accusations "absolutely false", saying he had never "abused, coerced, or disrespected any woman".
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
In 2005, the California government formally apologized for these forced removals, recognizing they were “fundamental violations of … basic civil liberties and constitutional rights” during a period “of illegal deportation and coerced emigration.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
He believes these people to be in the majority in Germany at the present time but feels they are coerced into following Hitler's methods and program.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
“Detaining people and not giving them the chance to get out of detention is a way of coercing people to give up their claims.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2026
"The observers do not allege any verbal instruction or physical conduct that indicated one person was directing or coercing another regarding how to vote."
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
At times “strategic ambiguity” can be a useful tool for coercing foes to act in certain ways or even to step down from power.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2025
Three of his former colleagues are also on trial accused of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2025
Mr. Blackburn, the member for Stirlingshire, said he agreed with every Scotch member that a permanent board would be of no use; it would be coercing the people by centralization.
From Chapters in the History of the Insane in the British Isles by Daniel Hack Tuke
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
