forces 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of force
1
as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the public outcry from the scandal forced the mayor to resign road construction forced them to take an alternate route

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violates
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent was accused of forcing a woman

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forces

2 of 2

noun

plural of force
1
as in workforces
a body of persons at work or available for work the entire force of the shipyard will be needed to get this government order done on time

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2
as in pressures
the use of power to impose one's will on another a cruel tyrant who disbanded the parliament and ruled by force

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in police
a body of officers of the law the police detective retired after 23 years on the force

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4
as in supplies
the number of individuals or amount of something available at any given time the great debate during the Cold War was whether the nation's missile force was adequate

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forces
Verb
Writing strips out the reactive tone that damages trust and forces people to engage with the actual argument instead of the way it was said. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Maya runs away from her pain by traveling the world, first to Portugal and then to London and Japan, but an unexpected romance forces her to confront her past and realize that there may be more than one love of her life. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026 So Benn sees his work on YouTube and with other researchers, civil rights groups, and journalists as an accountability function that forces this conversation to the forefront. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026 The new series picks up after Korra’s actions, which inadvertently lead to an apocalypse that forces humanity to take refuge in the titular Havens, all of which have visually distinct identities. — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026 This constraint saves me from perfectionism and forces me to share my work. — Ben Meer, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 Through regular exercises and strategic updates, districts and institutions can pinpoint and remedy potential gaps in their protocols before a real cyber emergency forces them to make high-stakes decisions under pressure. — Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026 Miami defense forces another punt Clemson reached Miami territory on its second drive but a Marquise Lightfoot sack on second down and deep incompletion with Ryan Mack in coverage on third down leads to another Tigers punt. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026 By having the courage to avoid ecstatic thrills and powerful peaks, Bowery Electric forces you to abide with the sound and absorb it without being able to do anything with it. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
That compatibility could help defense forces incorporate the capability into existing communications networks. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 In January 2025, Bonamassa joined forces with Josh Smith and a group of musicians, mostly from his touring band, and went into Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. — Daniel Kohn, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026 Twelve of them are executed on the banks of Pyongyang’s Taedong River, and the advancing South Korean forces want to turn them into martyrs. — Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026 The Global Force Management Allocation Plan, or GFMAP, is at the center of the process, laying out which forces will be provided to combatant commanders, for what missions and for how long. — James Laporta, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that a mutual defense pact between Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as well as any deployment of Turkish forces under the agreement, requires parliamentary approval. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Unfortunately, the same forces that defeated previous permitting reform packages — primarily left-wing interest groups — are threatening to smother this legislation. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026 Flores is charged with participating in a cocaine importation conspiracy with her husband, Maduro, who served as Venezuela’s president from 2013 until his capture by American forces in January. — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 The outlook for the region reflects the same forces driving its growth. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
  1. compels
  2. violates
  3. workforces
  4. pressures
  5. police
  6. supplies
  7. coerces
  8. rapes
Verb
  • Not the kind of empathy that simply allows someone to understand another person’s struggles, but the kind that compels them to do something about it.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Here, Hendrikx plays anthropologist to a culture that compels each of us—whether a rider or not—to find our own vehicle for fulfillment, then take it to redline.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of compels
Verb
  • In their eyes, this policy violates their First Amendment rights, and the Sheley's have joined the federal case challenging the state's requirements.
    — Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • While a judge recently ruled that the question had to stay on the ballot, the court has not ruled on whether the deal violates the city’s own charter, which requires a fair market-value proposal.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of violates
Noun
  • Regional industry networks would combine technology and talent to create more agile workforces, new capabilities, lines of business, and growing market shares.
    — Byron Auguste, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The agriculture industry needs a flexible visa program that addresses both seasonal and year-round workforces.
    — WCCO Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of workforces
Noun
  • The bank still calls Nvidia the sector’s best risk-reward opportunity but warns that financing pressures, power shortages, and concentrated customers could threaten the buildout.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The proposals come as local governments face rising costs, budget pressures and cuts to federal safety net programs.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of pressures
Noun
  • Beginning in the late 1990s, O’Neal has worked part-time with several police departments and even became a reserve officer in both Los Angeles and Miami.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Roseville police have arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the fatal stabbing of a homeless woman downtown earlier this week, authorities said.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of police
Noun
  • Decodo, a web data company, tracked price changes in 2025 across products ranging from electronics to clothing and home improvement supplies.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Relief supplies were unlikely to reach the islands for three to five days, according to Saturday updates from FEMA.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of supplies
Verb
  • However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 4 Dec. 2025
  • Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2025
Definition of coerces
Verb
  • In that film’s story, Insiang (Hilda Koronel) metes out revenge against Dado (Ruel Vernal), her hateful mother’s lover, who rapes her after rejecting his advances.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
  • Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial.
    — TIME, Time, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of rapes

Phrases Containing forces

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for certain
forces
forcible
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Cite this Entry

“Forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forces. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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