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force field

force field

42 6.4
An invisible barrier of energy that keeps a place or object from harm
  • noun
  • /fɔrs fiːld/
  • Literature
translation icon : campo de fuerza
  • Good luck trying to break through that force field.
  • a force field to protect
  • erect a force field
  • lower the force field

But, but you know, we, we go into these places, you know, there's no kind of invisible force field around us out there.

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Examples

  • The spaceship was surrounded by a force field that protected it from enemy attacks.

  • The missing shuttle glided through the bay's protective force field and settled into its berth.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • So brace for impact, put the force fields up, but make the decision anyway.

  • Seal off that entire deck with emergency force fields.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • There's a force field around it, which I most definitely saw.

  • Someone's taken down our force field.

  • I'm releasing the emergency force fields.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • At the last possible moment, the force field sputters and falls.

  • The force field protecting a cargo area like this from the vacuum of space could fail.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The team starts backpedaling, firing as they go, but the Borg are unstoppable now; they put up personal force fields to protect themselves.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

shielding
vsforce field
  • Specialized
19 5.0

Layers of material that block harmful radiation, for example X-rays

is an energy barrier that protects without physical materials
field of force
vsforce field
  • Specialized
8.2

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

is an invisible protective barrier that stops harm rather than just affecting bodies

How Protective

force field
  • Literature
42 6.4
shield
476 2.9
barrier
163 2.8
wall
1.0

Surface Forms

force field singular
force fields plural

Morphology

force + field

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'force' (power that acts) with 'field' (a region or area where something acts), yielding an area characterized by force — which corresponds to an invisible protective barrier. This noun–noun composition and the same concept exist in many languages (e.g., Spanish 'campo de fuerza'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely understand the MWE.

Etymology

Force field in stories comes from the picture of an invisible bubble around a ship or machine: force is power and field is an area. This bubble acts like a 'shield' that stops attacks, so the phrase means 'an invisible barrier that protects'.