Meaning of coerce in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /koʊˈərs/

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  1. Verb

    coerce

    Etymology

    late Middle English: from Latin coercere‘restrain’, from co-‘together’ + arcere‘restrain’

    Definitions

    1. to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"

    Examples

    • « He squeezed her for information »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « A man has to learn that he cannot command things, but that he can command himself that he cannot coerce the wills of others, but that he can mold and master his own will: and things serve him who serves Truth people seek guidance of him who is master of himself. »
    James Allen
  • « She goes through the vale of death alone, each time a babe is born. As it is the right neither of man nor the state to coerce her into this ordeal, so it is her right to decide whether she will endure it. »
    Margaret Sanger
  • « Love has its own time, its own season, and its own reasons from coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. You can only embrace it when it arrives and give it away when it comes to you. »
    Kent Nerburn
  • « Others think it the responsibility of scientists to coerce the rest of society, because they have the power that derives from special knowledge. »
    John Charles Polanyi

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