to force
- verb
- /fɔrs/
- She had to force the door open when it got stuck.
- forced air
- forced the water
Then strong magnets force the electrons to move on a zigzag.
- Then strong magnets force the electrons to move on a zigzag.
- And then we we force it through whatever lens it goes through.
Examples
-
He tried to force the lid off the jar, but it was too tightly sealed.
-
This is the lungs that force air up through the windpipe.
-
I kind of forced my way in here.
-
Well, shall I get Robert to force the door?
-
So you press this in and then it must force itself onto this button here.
-
Force that truck to go exactly where we want it to go.
-
So now I'm going to force it to dock itself there.
-
Isobel cleaned the windows and somehow forced them open, letting in the sweet fresh air.
Fiction book (1990) -
Perspiration loosened his grip on the stock, forcing him to hold his weapon tighter.
Fiction book (1990) -
Richter and Quaid wrestle savagely on the floor, trying to force each other over the side.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
To move something away from you using force, often with your hands
To push something into another thing with force
To pull something suddenly and hard
To move into a narrow space with difficulty
To force something tightly into a narrow space
To push into a place using physical strength or influence
To move something away from you by pushing with your hands
Make something move down by using force
Push something quickly and hard into place
Push something down using your hand or weight
To force something open with a tool like a crowbar
Move something or someone out of the way with your hands
To move something by using a long bar to lift it
Push something outward suddenly and strongly
Use a tool or force to open something that is stuck
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Make someone accept ideas or opinions they do not want by pressuring them
- Informal
A wish of good luck people say to encourage someone, often playfully
Phrasal Verbs
Make people or things move backward by using strength and stop feelings by holding them back
- Specialized
To make an aircraft land unexpectedly because of engine failure or bad weather
Compounds
A branch of a country's military that uses planes to fight and protect the country
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 group of soldiers and other people trained to protect a country from attack
- Specialized
A pull between all objects, especially Earth's pull on things near its surface
A branch of the United States military that uses planes and works in space to defend the country
- Literature
A group of people trained like soldiers to act with or for the army
- Formal
A large unexpected event like a natural disaster or war that prevents someone from fulfilling a contract
The army, navy, and air force of Israel working together to protect the country
- Specialized
A force that holds protons and neutrons together inside an atom's nucleus
- Specialized
A basic interaction in nature that causes some radioactive decay and acts on particles like neutrinos
A group of armed fighters who use sudden attacks against a larger army in rural areas
A group of guards a company or person hires to protect people and property
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
- Specialized
A pull that makes two things move toward each other, like gravity or magnets
- Jargon
A baseball out that happens when a fielder holding the ball touches the base a runner must reach
- Specialized
An imaginary line that shows the direction of force at points in an electric or magnetic field
- Specialized
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
- Specialized
An imaginary line showing the direction a positive electric charge moves and how strong the field is
- Specialized
Energy from a source that makes electricity flow in a circuit, measured in volts
- Specialized
A list of metals that shows which metal can replace another in a liquid
- Specialized
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
- Specialized
A United States Air Force group that researches and develops new aircraft and space technology
- Specialized
A system that uses a pump to push oil under pressure into an engine's moving parts
- Specialized
A play where a runner must advance and a fielder with the ball touches the base first
- Specialized
A play when a runner must go to a base and a player holding the ball touches it first
- Specialized
A force on a moving electric charge caused by electric and magnetic fields
- Offensive
A violent armed group in Northern Ireland formed in 1996 that was against the peace process
- Specialized
A unit for measuring the force that pushes a magnetic field through a circuit
- Specialized
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
- Specialized
An attack by a large group of soldiers to test the enemy and collect information
- Specialized
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
How Hard
Surface Forms
Etymology
Force as a verb also comes from Latin fortis 'strong', so to 'force' a window or door is to push or squeeze it with strength until it moves. That connection explains the physical meaning of force as a strong push.