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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forces
Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Nonetheless, Williams’ presence on the field alone forces LSU’s defense to account for him at all times due to his big-play ability.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Each callout forces others to take on extra shifts.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2025
Congress rarely forces itself to demonstrate, item by item, that all five prongs are met.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
The domino effect pushes deliveries out, forces expensive air freight, and overloads suppliers.
—Raj Dhiman, Sourcing Journal, 6 Nov. 2025
But André, who Bonitzer has named after the early surrealist André-Aimé-René Masson, soon confronts our man with a situation that — at least on some distant subconscious level — forces him to re-evaluate his metrics.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
In Running Point, when a scandal forces her brother to resign, Isla Gordon (Hudson) is appointed president of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
But an old debt forces him to commit one last break-in at the popular Brasserie Papillon.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
Indeed, the diverse lush tones joined forces with the suffocating heat of the jungle to disguise an essential monotony, the primary function of which was to drive crazy anyone who might be inclined to formulate an original thought.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Thousands have been arrested and hundreds killed as security forces violently cracked down on the protest, the organization Human Rights Activists in Iran reported.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 12 Jan. 2026
In other locations, particularly in southeastern Iran, rights groups said security forces fired directly at protesters in Zahedan after prayers, wounding several people.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 12 Jan. 2026
In Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city some 450 miles northeast of Tehran, video purported to show protesters confronting security forces.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Several leading human rights and watchdog organizations in recent days condemned growing violence against demonstrators by government forces.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
In return, Cuba has dispatched thousands of mercenaries to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine.
—Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
Analysts attribute rising electric bills to a combination of forces.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
On the other hand, statins lower LDL cholesterol by blocking an enzyme in the liver, which then forces the liver to remove more LDL cholesterol from the body.
—Noun
Over 17 years after the release of their 2008 film The Secret Life of Bees, Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah joined forces once again to present the awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama and Best Television Series — Drama at the 2026 Golden Globes on Sunday.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
Verb
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Dutch is a typical Schwarzenegger hero — all rippling muscle and bravery — but with a humane integrity that compels him to keep his team safe.—
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The hope is that, armed with new technology, that decline of foreign aid serves a rallying call that compels African countries to forge their own paths, free from the constraints of aid dependency and external policy pressures.—
Verb
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The lawsuit alleges the freeze is based on unsupported allegations of social services fraud and violates Congress’ spending power.—
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The association has argued that Measure ULA violates both the state’s constitution and the Los Angeles City Charter.—
Noun
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By 2050, most people will command workforces larger than the biggest multinational corporations of today.—
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At the beginning of 2025, the World Economic Forum reported that 41% of organizations were planning to trim their workforces in the face of rapidly advancing AI.—
Noun
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In cities, where environmental pressures usually overlap and blur together, that kind of on-off switch is almost never available.—
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Data released Friday shows the construction of new apartments has dropped off in the last year, spelling potential trouble for renters as the number of available properties stagnates and macroeconomic pressures keep more people in the rental market.—
Noun
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One of those rescued, a female landfill worker, died while being brought to a hospital, regional police director Brig.—
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Other than the police chief and the two lieutenants, officers work on average 42 hours per week of shift work, which does not include overtime, Leiby said in an email to the Statesman.—
Noun
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The food bank provides food and other supplies for the pets of senior citizens, low-income families, people with disabilities or terminal illnesses, veterans, and homeless community members.—
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When state media broadcasts funerals for fighters killed in Syria or Yemen while Iran’s hospitals lack basic supplies, the disconnect between rhetoric and reality becomes glaring.—
Verb
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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.—
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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.—
Verb
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The two have always had an uneasy relationship, but in the series' first episode, Constance’s son Willem (Toby Hemingway) rapes Fiona’s daughter Dahlia (Diana Silvers), and is murdered by the Nolan family because of it.—
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Soon after police arrested Bernardo for the Scarborough rapes, he and Homolka were also linked to the murders of three teenage girls between 1990 and 1992, according to CTV News.—
Cite this Entry
“Forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forces. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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