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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
When the 25-day storage wall forces a pipeline to stop, the system begins to degrade immediately.
—Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
As the case unfolds, the investigation forces María and her team to confront both institutional corruption and the personal cost of pursuing justice.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
In at least one case, the developer of an affordable housing project is seeking speedy approval of the complex by using provisions of California Senate Bill 35, which forces cities to approve and expedite certain projects that include affordable units.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
The 65-game benchmark is unnecessary for trying to fix something voters have no control over — when players play — and forces voters to reward players who might not be deserving of league-wide honors.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
This forces blood to move throughout your whole body instead of just being concentrated to your lower half.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 25 Mar. 2026
That forces the Padres to choose, ostensibly, between France and Jose Miranda by Saturday.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Moral Imagination Philosophy forces you to ask inconvenient questions.
—Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
The war has seen bloodshed throughout the Middle East, notably in Lebanon where Israeli forces are moving into the southern part of the country.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
The agreement comes as the partial government shutdown forces Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay, causing long security lines at airports.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Aboard the plane were 126 members of the security forces, 57 of whom survived.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Its factories, including those seized during the occupation of the Netherlands, France, and Poland, produced artillery and ammo for Hitler’s forces.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Dosa earned an Academy Award nomination for 2022’s Fire of Love, the story of vulcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft who furthered the world’s understanding of intense geological forces, but whose lives were claimed in a volcanic eruption.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Then, trace your finger to its peak, which, to me, was his starring role as smoldering special forces operative Scott McCoy in the 1986 action movie The Delta Force, co-starring a frail-looking but grizzled and unsmiling Lee Marvin in his last movie.
—John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
In that series, Michelle Pfeiffer’s cosmopolitan Stacy Clyburn learns to embrace the American West after a tragedy forces her to leave New York City for the Madison River Valley in central Montana.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
The owners will be pushing for a salary cap, and the players for some sort of mechanism that forces the bottom-end teams to spend more, like a salary floor.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
When the 25-day storage wall forces a pipeline to stop, the system begins to degrade immediately.
—Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
As the case unfolds, the investigation forces María and her team to confront both institutional corruption and the personal cost of pursuing justice.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
In at least one case, the developer of an affordable housing project is seeking speedy approval of the complex by using provisions of California Senate Bill 35, which forces cities to approve and expedite certain projects that include affordable units.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
The 65-game benchmark is unnecessary for trying to fix something voters have no control over — when players play — and forces voters to reward players who might not be deserving of league-wide honors.
—Jason Jones, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
This forces blood to move throughout your whole body instead of just being concentrated to your lower half.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 25 Mar. 2026
That forces the Padres to choose, ostensibly, between France and Jose Miranda by Saturday.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
Moral Imagination Philosophy forces you to ask inconvenient questions.
—Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
Noun
These are the military's most elite forces, who have undergone intensive physical and technical training for this type of mission.
—CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
The war has seen bloodshed throughout the Middle East, notably in Lebanon where Israeli forces are moving into the southern part of the country.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
The agreement comes as the partial government shutdown forces Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay, causing long security lines at airports.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Aboard the plane were 126 members of the security forces, 57 of whom survived.
—ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Its factories, including those seized during the occupation of the Netherlands, France, and Poland, produced artillery and ammo for Hitler’s forces.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Dosa earned an Academy Award nomination for 2022’s Fire of Love, the story of vulcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft who furthered the world’s understanding of intense geological forces, but whose lives were claimed in a volcanic eruption.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
Then, trace your finger to its peak, which, to me, was his starring role as smoldering special forces operative Scott McCoy in the 1986 action movie The Delta Force, co-starring a frail-looking but grizzled and unsmiling Lee Marvin in his last movie.
—John Devore, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
In that series, Michelle Pfeiffer’s cosmopolitan Stacy Clyburn learns to embrace the American West after a tragedy forces her to leave New York City for the Madison River Valley in central Montana.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forces
Verb
-
The New York Times is seeking a new order that compels Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s team to rescind a set of press access restrictions that a federal judge ruled unconstitutional last week.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Even so, each glimpse of what lies beyond Earth compels us to search farther.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Supreme Court said Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors violates the free speech rights of a Christian counselor.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Israeli rights groups and international organizations say the law violates international law and discriminates against Palestinians through unequal application across courts.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Healthy populations have stronger workforces, stronger local economies and greater civic participation.—
Dr. Howard A. Selinger,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The company attributes the cuts to industrywide challenges such as slower growth and weaker spending, as gaming studios across the sector have slashed their workforces.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Traffic and school pressures brought on by growth concern people in the panhandle.—
John Marks,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The problem, apart from perennial budget pressures, is that interest in election mechanics — a technical and arcane subject if ever there was one — is episodic and fleeting.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Williams was apprehended by police a few days later.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
As of early Tuesday morning, police said no arrests had been made.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, employees at both DFW Airport and Love Field are collecting donations – including nonperishable food, hygiene items, baby supplies, and gas or grocery gift cards – to further support federal aviation workers affected by the shutdown.—
Lauren Crawford,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The idea was controversial, because volcanoes were always thought to act independently, tapping their own supplies of molten, eruptible rock.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
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.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
And when her brother-in-law, Stanley (Marlon Brando), rapes her, her descent into madness was made all the more vivid and believable by Leigh's precise depiction of vulnerability and instability.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The girl vomited and went to lie down where Marino allegedly rapes her, the prosecutor added.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forces. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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