coerced; coercing
1
: to compel to an act or choice
was coerced into agreeing
abusers who coerce their victims into silence
2
: to achieve by force or threat
coerce compliance
coerce obedience
3
: to restrain or dominate by force
religion in the past has tried to coerce the irreligious—
W. R. Inge
W. R. IngeExamples of coerce in a Sentence
A confession was coerced from the suspect by police.
was coerced into signing the document
Recent Examples on the Web
Defense attorneys for the juvenile defendants, Matthew Niemiec and Mark Grier, said the suspects were coerced into the alleged crime.
—Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
Scammers often ask for money or coerce their victims into performing harmful acts.
—Nicole Valdes, CBS News, 31 May 2025
Last year, the department paid out nearly $1 million to settle with a man who said that, over the course of a 17-hour interrogation, officers coerced him into confessing to a murder that never took place.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
Families were coerced into giving up their children or were forcibly separated as state and federal authorities took them.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for coerce
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Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2025
Scammers often ask for money or coerce their victims into performing harmful acts.
—Nicole Valdes, CBS News, 31 May 2025
Last year, the department paid out nearly $1 million to settle with a man who said that, over the course of a 17-hour interrogation, officers coerced him into confessing to a murder that never took place.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2025
Families were coerced into giving up their children or were forcibly separated as state and federal authorities took them.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for coerce
Cite this Entry
“Coerce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coerce. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coerce
verb
co·erce
kō-ˈərs 
coerced; coercing
: to cause someone to do something by force or threat
coercion
noun
-ˈər-zhən
-shən
coercive
adjective
-ˈər-siv
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