Word info Synonyms Antonyms

coerce

Verb

Meaning

To restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb.

To compel or constrain to any action; as, to coerce a man to vote for a certain candidate.

To compel or enforce; as, to coerce obedience.

Source: Webster's dictionary

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Examples

The German air offensives against British cities in World Wars I and II not only failed to coerce the United Kingdom to surrender, but Germany also lost both wars. John Mearsheimer

I hold strongly to this: that it is better to be impetuous than circumspect; because fortune is a woman and if she is to be submissive it is necessary to beat and coerce her. Niccolò Machiavelli

Our national unity was the secret of the force of each of the members. New York could not be New York nor Ohio be Ohio without Massachusetts and without Georgia. And a government which had not the right to coerce had not the right to exist. George William Curtis

The decision of the Supreme court has fell still born, and they find that it cannot coerce Georgia to yield to its mandate. Andrew Jackson

We do not force people to move to new homes, we coerce them. [Some believe he meant to say "convince"]. Pieter Willem Botha

A great piece of literature does not try to coerce you to believe it or agree with it. A great piece of literature simply is . It is a vehicle of truth, but it is not a blueprint, and we tend to confuse the two. Madeleine L'Engle

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