force Meaning & Definition
What Does Force Mean?
Force is used as a noun meaning strength or energy exerted or brought to bear. It can also mean moral or mental strength. As a verb, it means to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means.
Quick Facts About Force
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈfȯrs/ |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | power, thrust and coerce |
| Antonyms | draw, push and pull |
| Plural | forces |
| Verb forms | forces, forcing, forced |
Force Definition (Noun)
- strength or energy exerted or brought to bear : cause of motion or change : active power
the forces of nature / the motivating force in her life
- moral or mental strength
I was impressed by the force of his character.
- capacity to persuade or convince
the force of the argument
- military strength
- a body (as of troops or ships) assigned to a military purpose
a force of 20,000 soldiers
- the whole military strength (as of a nation)
- a body of persons or things available for a particular end
a labor force / the missile force
- an individual or group having the power of effective action
join forces to prevent violence / The organization was a force for good. / He has become a force to be reckoned with = a person with power in politics.
- police force
- physical violence, compulsion, or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing
used brute force to open the door / claimed the officer used excessive force in making the arrest / The thief took her purse by force.
- nonphysical power that compels or constrains
a rule that does not have the force of law / succeeded through sheer force of will. =determination to succeed
- an agency or influence that if applied to a free body results chiefly in an acceleration of the body and sometimes in elastic deformation and other effects
- any of the natural influences (such as electromagnetism see electromagnetism, gravity, the strong force, and the weak force) that exist especially between particles and determine the structure of the universe
- the quality of conveying impressions intensely in writing or speech
stated the objectives with force
- force-out
Force as a Verb
- to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means
A player was forced out of bounds. / They forced the CEO to resign. / I forced myself to finish.
- to make or cause especially through natural or logical necessity
I was forced to admit my error. / The last minute goal forced overtime. / Flooding forced many to leave their homes.
- to press, drive, pass, or effect against resistance or inertia
force your way through
- to impose or thrust urgently, importunately, or inexorably
had the decision forced on them / The impending deadline may force compromises.
- to do violence to
- rape
- to achieve or win by strength in struggle or violence: such as
- to win one's way into
force a castle / forced the mountain passes
- to break open or through
force a lock
- to raise or accelerate to the utmost
forcing the pace
- to produce only with unnatural or unwilling effort
forced a smile
- to wrench, strain, or use (language) with marked unnaturalness and lack of ease
- to hasten the rate of progress or growth of
- to bring (plants) to maturity out of the normal season
forcing lilies for Easter
- to induce (a particular bid or play by another player) in a card game by some conventional act, play, bid, or response
- to cause (a runner in baseball) to be put out on a force-out
- to cause (a run) to be scored in baseball by giving a base on balls when the bases are full
Synonyms of Force
Antonyms of Force
Force in a Sentence
the force of an appeal, an argument, or a contract
show of force
Torque is the rotational version of force.
Force is the result of fundamental interactions.
Most physicists deem there to be four fundamental forces: the weak force, the strong force, gravitation, and the electromagnetic force.
fictitious forces
Two forces acting upon the same point on an object will cancel out only if they have equal magnitude and opposite directions.
Heavier objects are those that are subject to more gravitational force.
force of nature
I believe that the main long-term force that guides a society's evolution is not the economy or the leaders, but the culture.
Some skeptics have attributed changing temperatures to forces out of our control, such as axial procession.
market forces
air force; police force
Force Z
After only a week, Japanese forces had captured Singapore from the British.
reinforcements grew the American force in the area to 9,000
Roman forces were
The law will come into force in January.
force of mortality
The comedian's jokes weren't funny, but I forced a laugh now and then.
I forgot my keys in and so we had to force (open) the door.
Jones forced the runner at second by stepping on the bag.
the forces of nature
the motivating force in her life
I was impressed by the force of his character.
the force of the argument
a force of 20,000 soldiers
a labor force
the missile force
join forces to prevent violence
The organization was a force for good.
He has become a force to be reckoned with = a person with power in politics.
used brute force to open the door
claimed the officer used excessive force in making the arrest
The thief took her purse by force.
a rule that does not have the force of law
succeeded through sheer force of will. =determination to succeed
stated the objectives with force
A player was forced out of bounds.
They forced the CEO to resign.
I forced myself to finish.
I was forced to admit my error.
The last minute goal forced overtime.
Flooding forced many to leave their homes.
force your way through
had the decision forced on them
The impending deadline may force compromises.
force a castle
forced the mountain passes
force a lock
forcing the pace
forced a smile
forcing lilies for Easter
the public outcry from the scandal forced the mayor to resign
road construction forced them to take an alternate route
was accused of forcing a woman
the entire force of the shipyard will be needed to get this government order done on time
a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force
got through the college board exams by sheer force of will
surely you were influenced by the force of his arguments?
expressed the full force of her frustration with her son for his reckless behavior
the officer threatened to resort to force if the suspect did not surrender
the police detective retired after 23 years on the force
the great debate during the Cold War was whether the nation's missile force was adequate
the forces of nature / the motivating force in her life
a labor force / the missile force
join forces to prevent violence / The organization was a force for good. / He has become a force to be reckoned with = a person with power in politics.
used brute force to open the door / claimed the officer used excessive force in making the arrest / The thief took her purse by force.
a rule that does not have the force of law / succeeded through sheer force of will. =determination to succeed
A player was forced out of bounds. / They forced the CEO to resign. / I forced myself to finish.
I was forced to admit my error. / The last minute goal forced overtime. / Flooding forced many to leave their homes.
had the decision forced on them / The impending deadline may force compromises.
force a castle / forced the mountain passes
Word Forms & Grammar
force·less adjective
Force
Forces
by force
force
force of will
force to be reckoned with
forceless
forces
forced
forc·ing
forc·er noun
forcer
forcers
forcing
force one's hand
force (countable and uncountable, plural forces)
force (third-person singular simple present forces, present participle forcing, simple past and past participle forced)
force (plural forces)
Words That Rhyme With Force
Origin of Force
Origin 1: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *fortia, from Latin fortis strong
Origin 2: see force:1
Origin 3: From Middle English force, fors, forse, from Old French force, from Late Latin fortia, a noun derived from the neuter plural of Latin fortis (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise, high, hill”).
Origin 4: From Middle English forcen, from Old French forcier, from Late Latin *fortiāre, from Latin fortia.
Origin 5: From Middle English force, forz, fors, from Old Norse fors (“waterfall”), from Proto-Germanic *fursaz (“waterfall”). Cognate with Icelandic foss (“waterfall”), Norwegian foss (“waterfall”), Swedish fors (“waterfall”). Doublet of foss.
Origin 6: From Middle English forcen, forsen, a use of force, with confusion of farce (“to stuff”).
First Known Use
14th century
Pronouncing Force
You say force as /ˈfȯrs/. It has 1 syllable.
Common Questions About Force
Is force a noun or a verb?
Force is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for force?
Words with a similar meaning to force include power, thrust and coerce. See the full list of force synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of force?
The opposite of force can be expressed with words like draw, push, pull and allow.
What is the plural of force?
The plural of force is forces.
What is the past tense of force?
The past tense of force is forced. The present participle is forcing.