Coerce definition

kō-ûrs
coerced coerces coercing
See word origin
Frequency:
To pressure, intimidate, or force (someone) into doing something.
verb
6
2
To force or compel, as by threats, to do something.
verb
4
0
To bring about or gain by pressure, threat, or force.

Coerced agreement among the parties; coerced a confession from the suspect.

verb
3
0
To restrain or constrain by force, esp. by legal authority; curb.
verb
3
0
To bring about by using force; enforce.
verb
3
1
Advertisement
(computing) To force an attribute, normally of a data type, to take on the attribute of another data type.
verb
2
0
The definition of coerce means to use force or scare tactics to get someone to do something.

An example of coerce is for a person to threaten his friend if the friend does not steal money for him.

verb
0
0
To restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb.
verb
0
0
To use force, threat, fraud, or intimidation in attempt to compel one to act against his will.
verb
0
0

Origin of coerce

  • Latin coercēre to control, restrain co- co- arcēre to enclose, confine

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Latin coercere (“to surround, encompass, restrain, control, curb”), from co- (“together”) + arcere (“to inclose, confine, keep off”); see arcade, arcane, ark.

    From Wiktionary

Coerce Sentence Examples

  • He even managed to coerce the children into doing the dishes.

  • When the king brought over a few Irish soldiers to coerce the English, Sarsfield came in command of them.

  • A leader does n't coerce people into change that they resist.

  • The refusal of the soldiers to coerce the Assembly showed that the monarchy could no longer rely on the army; and a few days later, when the lesser nobility and the lower ranks of the clergy had united with the third estate whose cause was their own, the king yielded, and on the 27th of June commanded both orders to join in the National Assembly, which was thereby recognized and the political revolution sanctioned.

  • You put my cousin in a room with a rabid dog to coerce me to … do something? she managed.

More sentences

Related articles

Also Mentioned In

Words near coerce in the Dictionary