verb
coerce
koh-URS/kəʊˈɜːrs/
To force someone to act through pressure or threats.
The supervisor tries to coerce the uneasy worker into signing a paper.
Etymology
The original image is of shutting things up together or confining them. From restraining someone by law or authority, the meaning extends to forcing action through pressure or threats.
In context
a labor strike is supposed to be the ultimate industrial hammer it's supposed to bring a company to its knees it's supposed to close the doors and basically coerce the company to come back to the bargaining table
More examples
- She refuses to be coerced by threats.
- The suspect says he was coerced into signing the statement.
- No one should coerce you into making a decision immediately.
Forms
coerce · coerces · coerced · coercing
Similar words
- compel
- Can describe strong necessity without an explicit threat.
- intimidate
- Intimidate creates fear; coerce uses pressure or threats to obtain a particular action.