1
as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the public outcry from the scandal forced the mayor to resign road construction forced them to take an alternate route
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violates
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent was accused of forcing a woman
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1
as in workforces
a body of persons at work or available for work the entire force of the shipyard will be needed to get this government order done on time
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2
as in pressures
the use of power to impose one's will on another a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force
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3
as in police
a body of officers of the law the police detective retired after 23 years on the force
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4
as in supplies
the number of individuals or amount of something available at any given time the great debate during the Cold War was whether the nation's missile force was adequate
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forces
Darlene Mealy, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 In her latest Netflix action effort, Theron plays a woman who sets off on a trip to Australia to soothe her grief but unwittingly crosses paths with Egerton’s unnerving hunter, who forces her into a game of cat and mouse. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026 Doctors and nurses have complained bitterly about the situation, which forces them to provide inadequate care. —Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 The vast majority of fatal crashes are preventable with changes to infrastructure that forces drivers to slow down — a crash at 20 mph, for example, is extremely unlikely to kill anyone involved, but the risk multiplies very quickly at all speeds over 20 mph. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026 But what begins as a local emergency soon spirals into a deeper, more terrifying mystery, one that forces the town’s residents to confront the unknown. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026 This constraint forces strict prioritization. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Apr. 2026 The sustained lack of access for families forces them to either leave the workforce or rely on unregulated child care, which then strains employers and local economies, said Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk. —Lina Ruiz april 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026 The framing event of the season is a cyberattack that forces the team to go offline and use analog systems to route patients and document their care. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Apr. 2026
Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026 Just days after an Israeli soldier was photographed hitting a crucifix with what appeared to be a hammer or ax in southern Lebanon, Italian UN peacekeeping forces and the Vatican’s ambassador to the country brought a replacement statue and cross to the Christian village of Debel. —Alayna Treene, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026 Although Russian forces still occupy Ukraine, prices eventually dropped to a normal level. —Hali Smith april 24, Idaho Statesman, 24 Apr. 2026 Curation has also rightfully stressed that working outside the art institution is not always a choice, and Mirikitani’s itinerant lifestyle was largely shaped by political forces. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 Apr. 2026 IHeartMedia and SiriusXM are in early talks to join forces, with veteran music industry mogul Irving Azoff and Apollo Global Management offering to assist with and advise on any such deal, sources tell Variety. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026 For decades now, China has functioned on the premise that wealth and social stability emerge only from a market economy in which big, unseen forces—not to be questioned or defied by individuals—control everything important. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026 Thursday’s Security Council meeting, which was attended by Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, unfolded against a backdrop in which security forces have seen some security gains in downtown Port-au-Prince but as armed groups continue to expand and tighten their grip. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 Commercial ships must coordinate with Iranian forces, a source close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council told Tasnim News. —Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
New Yorkers deserve a system that protects them before harm occurs — not one that forces them to fight for years to reclaim what was already theirs. —Darlene Mealy, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 In her latest Netflix action effort, Theron plays a woman who sets off on a trip to Australia to soothe her grief but unwittingly crosses paths with Egerton’s unnerving hunter, who forces her into a game of cat and mouse. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026 Doctors and nurses have complained bitterly about the situation, which forces them to provide inadequate care. —Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 The vast majority of fatal crashes are preventable with changes to infrastructure that forces drivers to slow down — a crash at 20 mph, for example, is extremely unlikely to kill anyone involved, but the risk multiplies very quickly at all speeds over 20 mph. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026 But what begins as a local emergency soon spirals into a deeper, more terrifying mystery, one that forces the town’s residents to confront the unknown. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026 This constraint forces strict prioritization. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Apr. 2026 The sustained lack of access for families forces them to either leave the workforce or rely on unregulated child care, which then strains employers and local economies, said Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk. —Lina Ruiz april 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026 The framing event of the season is a cyberattack that forces the team to go offline and use analog systems to route patients and document their care. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
American forces have used thousands of missiles in attacking Iran while allies have powered through stockpiles in fending off Tehran’s assaults, leaving reserves low and forcing the Pentagon to rush hardware to the Gulf. —Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026 Just days after an Israeli soldier was photographed hitting a crucifix with what appeared to be a hammer or ax in southern Lebanon, Italian UN peacekeeping forces and the Vatican’s ambassador to the country brought a replacement statue and cross to the Christian village of Debel. —Alayna Treene, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026 Although Russian forces still occupy Ukraine, prices eventually dropped to a normal level. —Hali Smith april 24, Idaho Statesman, 24 Apr. 2026 Curation has also rightfully stressed that working outside the art institution is not always a choice, and Mirikitani’s itinerant lifestyle was largely shaped by political forces. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 Apr. 2026 IHeartMedia and SiriusXM are in early talks to join forces, with veteran music industry mogul Irving Azoff and Apollo Global Management offering to assist with and advise on any such deal, sources tell Variety. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026 For decades now, China has functioned on the premise that wealth and social stability emerge only from a market economy in which big, unseen forces—not to be questioned or defied by individuals—control everything important. —Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026 Thursday’s Security Council meeting, which was attended by Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, unfolded against a backdrop in which security forces have seen some security gains in downtown Port-au-Prince but as armed groups continue to expand and tighten their grip. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 Commercial ships must coordinate with Iranian forces, a source close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council told Tasnim News. —Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
Verb
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Combined with Angel and Rue’s drive through the desert, Levinson seems to be pointing at the hollowness of the American Dream, which compels a person to risk their life, only to end up photographing dumb bimbos for OnlyFans.— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
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DeSantis has avoided saying that lawmakers should be redrawing the map for partisan gains, instead saying a looming decision from the Supreme Court on the Voting Rights Act compels the state to redistrict.— Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The information is disseminated even if the allegations were proven false, which violates the officers’ constitutional rights, the lawsuit claims.— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
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Opponents at home also say the change violates Japan’s pacifist constitution and will increase global tensions and threaten the safety of the Japanese people.— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Last January, a three-day raid in Kern County where undocumented laborers were arrested set off panic in the Central Valley and other farming regions with large immigrant workforces.— Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
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The startup had early success selling to large enterprises, as companies spend billions of dollars to deploy AI across their workforces.— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His quick steps can cause tackles to lose their balance, and his burst to turn pressures into sacks is tremendous.— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
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China appears to be stuck in a deflationary trap, with even the pressures sparked by the Iran war failing to boost prices.— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Thomas then claimed police later told her that Kierra may have been dating another man.— Aya Al-Hakim, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
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He was taken into custody and transported to Norwalk police headquarters, where he was charged with two counts of criminal attempt at assault on a police officer, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and first-degree threatening.— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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While much of the world’s economy has shown resilience in the face of the worst disruption to energy supplies in modern times, the knock-on effects of the conflict are starting to push up inflation while raising alarm bells about food supplies and prompting downgrades to economic growth.— Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
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Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!— Kathleen Saxe, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025
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Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial.— TIME, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
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And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability.— Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/forces. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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