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to force

to force

2.3
To make someone do something by using power or pressure
  • verb
  • /fɔrs/
translation icon : obligar a
  • If you incur debts you cannot repay, you will be forced to sell your inheritance.
  • force people to
  • forced to pay
  • forced the government

But what you can do is force yourself to focus on you.

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Examples

  • You cannot force me to tell you something I don't know.

  • The Palestinian leadership has taken its own initiative to force a deadline for statehood without negotiations.

    Academic text (2011)
  • But what you can do is force yourself to focus on you.

  • So find ways to force yourself to make stuff.

  • So you have children and it forces you to find your why?

  • Or I'll be forced to keep writing letters.

  • Immigrant students are often affected by immigration laws that force them or their family members into hiding.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The act of vocalizing before playing forces the performer to internalize the music.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Amid the wave of popular protests sweeping the region, it was forced to reassess its political priorities.

    Academic text (2011)
  • You need to force yourself to finish the project on time, even if it's challenging.

Synonyms

to make
vsto force
1.0

To force someone to do something

is about using direct power or authority to ensure action
to drive
vsto force
3.6

To cause someone to want to do something strongly

often uses direct power rather than internal motivation or reason
to push
vsto force
958 1.1

To urge someone to do something or try harder

can involve stronger pressure or use of authority to ensure action
to press
vsto force
285 3.9

Ask someone firmly and repeatedly to do something

also covers single acts of using power or direct compulsion
to impose
vsto force
271 4.8

Force someone to accept something they do not want

is broader, covering any use of power, pressure, or influence
to compel
vsto force
258 4.8

Force someone to do something or make them feel they must

relies on direct power or pressure rather than gentle urging
to pressure
vsto force
149 4.2

To try to make someone do something

is the general idea of using power, pressure, or influence
to coerce
vsto force
  • Offensive
91 6.4

Force someone to do something by threats

covers broader use of power including nonthreatening pressure
to oblige
vsto force
  • Formal
72 4.5

To make someone do something because the law or rules say so

is broader, covering both legal duty and informal use of power
to impose on
vsto force
60 5.5

To force someone to accept something or to ask too much of them

focuses more generally on using power to secure compliance
to induce
vsto force
51 4.9

Persuade someone to do something

includes firmer methods like pressure, threats, or formal authority
to thrust
vsto force
41 6.7

To force something on someone, often against their will

can include milder influence or formal requirements as well
to muscle
vsto force
  • Informal
39 6.6

To push into a place using physical strength or influence

is more general and can be nonphysical or lawful in form
to prevail
vsto force
  • Formal
23 6.7

To persuade someone to do something after repeated effort

can be immediate and forceful rather than gradual persuasion
to strong-arm
vsto force
  • NSFW
15 7.5

To force someone to do something by threats or violence

can be less aggressive, including persuasion or institutional power
to impel
vsto force
4 7.2

To make someone feel they must do something, often because of pressure or need

also includes cases where external power compels action outright
to bring pressure to bear
vsto force
  • Formal
1 6.0

To use influence to persuade someone to do something

also includes direct physical or legal power beyond mere influence
to twist someone's arm
vsto force
  • Informal
1 4.4

Get someone to agree or do something by pressuring them

may include formal authority or stronger coercive measures
7.1

Persuade someone to do what you want

also covers using clear power or pressure to secure compliance

Antonyms

472 2.7

To make someone agree or do something by giving reasons

Idioms

in force
  • Formal
19 3.9

A law or rule that is active now and must be followed

16 3.6

It happens with great strength and many people taking part

1 6.5

Make someone decide or act sooner than they want

Make someone accept ideas or opinions they do not want by pressuring them

A wish of good luck people say to encourage someone, often playfully

Phrasal Verbs

46 4.4

To make someone leave a job by pressure or threats

10 4.9

Make people or things move backward by using strength and stop feelings by holding them back

to force-feed
  • Offensive
10 6.5

To make someone eat by using physical strength when they refuse

6 4.2

To push something out with effort or pressure

to force down
  • Informal
2 7.0

To make someone accept ideas they do not want

to force-land
  • Specialized
8.8

To make an aircraft land unexpectedly because of engine failure or bad weather

Compounds

637 2.8

A branch of a country's military that uses planes to fight and protect the country

156 3.2

A group of soldiers organized to protect or fight for a country

153 3.3

A group of people who work together for a short time to do a specific job

146 2.0

A group of officers who keep order and safety in a town or city

A group of people hired by a company to protect its buildings and goods

force field
  • Literature
42 6.4

An invisible barrier of energy that keeps a place or object from harm

labor force
  • Specialized
41 2.2

All the people in a country who can and are available to work

39 4.1

A force that makes something move forward

force field
  • Specialized
18 6.3

An area around an object where it pushes or pulls other objects

17 2.7

The part of the United States military that flies planes and defends the country in the air and space

A branch of the United States military that fights in the air and space

A person or thing with great, unstoppable power like a storm

A school that trains people to be officers in an air force

10 3.8

A group of soldiers and other people trained to protect a country from attack

8 3.2

A group of company employees who sell its products or services

gravitational force
  • Specialized
7 4.2

A pull between all objects, especially Earth's pull on things near its surface

tour de force
  • Literature
7 8.0

An impressive achievement that shows great skill

life force
  • Archaic
5 8.8

An imagined energy that makes living things grow and move

centrifugal force
  • Specialized
4 4.8

A push felt outward on an object that moves in a circle

A branch of the United States military that uses planes and works in space to defend the country

To do something without thinking because you do it very often

life force
  • Jargon
4 7.5

A resource in games that shows how much health a character has

paramilitary force
  • Literature
4 6.8

A group of people trained like soldiers to act with or for the army

force majeure
  • Formal
4 9.8

A large unexpected event like a natural disaster or war that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract

3 6.3

A strong influence from a sense of right and wrong that makes people act

The army, navy, and air force of Israel working together to protect the country

3 3.5

The United Kingdom's military force that uses planes

strong force
  • Specialized
3 7.3

A force that holds protons and neutrons together inside an atom's nucleus

weak force
  • Specialized
2 8.3

A basic interaction in nature that causes some radioactive decay and acts on particles like neutrinos

magnetic force
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A push or pull from a magnet that moves metal and other magnets

A group of armed fighters who use sudden attacks against a larger army in rural areas

repulsive force
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A push that makes things move away from each other

A group of guards a company or person hires to protect people and property

1 5.2

A company cuts many jobs at the same time and lets workers go

A school that trains people to be officers in the US Air Force at Colorado Springs

An evil part of a mysterious power that bad characters use in Star Wars

A force that pulls a moving object toward the center of its circular path

A military person with a rank who serves in a country's air force

attractive force
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A pull that makes two things move toward each other, like gravity or magnets

force out
  • Jargon
1 7.2

A baseball out that happens when a fielder holding the ball touches the base a runner must reach

force unit
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A measure for how strong a push or pull is, like the newton

line of force
  • Specialized
1 7.2

An imaginary line that shows the direction of force at points in an electric or magnetic field

1 6.7

Invisible lines around a magnet that show which way its pull points

A United States military school in Colorado Springs that trains Air Force officers

An influence that pulls different groups together around a shared goal

color force
  • Specialized
8.8

A force that holds protons and neutrons together inside atomic nuclei

Coriolis force
  • Specialized
8.1

A push that makes moving things curve on a rotating body like Earth

7.1

An imaginary line showing the direction a positive electric charge moves and how strong the field is

electromotive force
  • Specialized
6.4

Energy from a source that makes electricity flow in a circuit, measured in volts

9.5

A list of metals that shows which metal can replace another in a liquid

aerodynamic force
  • Specialized
6.0

A push or pull from air on something moving through it, for example lift and drag on a wing

A former part of the United States Air Force that managed military space and missile operations

A United States Air Force group that researches and develops new aircraft and space technology

field of force
  • Specialized
8.2

An area around something where its push or pull affects other things

Force 17
  • NSFW
9.9

An armed group that guarded Palestinian leaders and carried out secret attacks

A system that uses a pump to push oil under pressure into an engine's moving parts

force per unit area
  • Specialized
4.9

How hard a force pushes on each small part of a surface

force play
  • Specialized
7.3

A play where a runner must advance and a fielder with the ball touches the base first

force pump
  • Specialized
6.7

A machine that pushes water up and out under pressure

force-out
  • Specialized
7.8

A play when a runner must go to a base and a player holding the ball touches it first

7.7

A part of Star Wars about a good kind of power that Jedi use

A phrase people use to say someone chooses the right thing

Lorentz force
  • Specialized
8.7

A force on a moving electric charge caused by electric and magnetic fields

9.9

A violent armed group in Northern Ireland formed in 1996 that was against the peace process

magnetomotive force
  • Specialized
7.4

A push that makes magnetic field move through a magnetic path

8.4

A unit for measuring the force that pushes a magnetic field through a circuit

g-force
  • Specialized
5.7

The push you feel when you speed up, compared with normal gravity like on a roller coaster

A group of armed fighters not part of the official army who use surprise attacks and sabotage

9.2

An attack by a large group of soldiers to test the enemy and collect information

retarding force
  • Specialized
7.7

A force that pushes against a moving object, like air or water, to slow it down

An illegal armed group in Colombia formed in 1997 that fought and sold drugs

vital force
  • Archaic
9.9

A power once thought to make living things grow and stay alive

How Forceful

to force
2.3
to coerce
  • Offensive
91 6.4
to intimidate
294 4.9
to pressure
149 4.2
to persuade
472 2.7
to ask
1.0

Surface Forms

force infinitive
forced past
forced past participle
forcing present participle
forces third person singular

Etymology

Force as a verb comes from the same root fortis 'strong' and old words meaning to use strength, so to 'force' someone is to use power or pressure to make them do something. That is why to force someone is to compel or push them into action.