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. IngeSynonyms
Examples 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
The suit, which didn’t say how much White paid the Mexican plaintiffs, alleges that he was coerced into making the settlements.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Musk has defended the giveaways, saying in a town hall that it was not meant to coerce people to register to vote.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
While past episodes coerced us into believing one thing or another, feeling this way or that way, Episode 5 tips the scales.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
Now, President Xi is using the power of the state to coerce women to have more children.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coerce 
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Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Musk has defended the giveaways, saying in a town hall that it was not meant to coerce people to register to vote.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
While past episodes coerced us into believing one thing or another, feeling this way or that way, Episode 5 tips the scales.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
Now, President Xi is using the power of the state to coerce women to have more children.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for coerce
Dictionary Entries Near coerce
Cite this Entry
“Coerce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coerce. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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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