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force
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- pronunciation:
- fors
- parts of speech:
- noun, verb
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
Force is strength, power, or energy. Force makes things move or makes things go. If the force of the wind blows away your umbrella, the strength of the wind blows it away.
The force of the tornado destroyed many houses.- synonyms:
- energy, power, strength, vigor
- similar words:
- effort, muscle, stress
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| definition 2: |
When you use force, it means that you use strength or energy.
The window was stuck, so I used force to open it.- synonyms:
- effort
- similar words:
- action, power, violence
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| definition 3: |
A force is someone or something with the energy or power to make something happen or cause change.
The group of parents was the main force behind getting the new crosswalks by the school.- synonyms:
- power
- similar words:
- agency, agent, influence, mover, strength
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| definition 4: |
A force is a group of people who share the same activity or who work together. A police force, for example, is a group of all the police officers that work for a particular city.
Zoey's older brother wants to join the work force after high school. He wants to get a job instead of going to college.The army and the navy are two of the country's military forces.- similar words:
- army, association, body, corps, gang, group, troop
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| related words: |
effect, hand, influence, pressure, pull, thrust |
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| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
forces, forcing, forced |
| definition 1: |
When someone forces you to do something, they make you do something by using their power or strength over you.
When my dad is sick, he tries to go to work, but my mom forces him to stay in bed.We can't force our cat to eat a new kind of food if she doesn't like it. If she doesn't want to eat it, she won't eat it.- synonyms:
- make, pressure
- similar words:
- press, push
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| definition 2: |
If something forces you to do something or see something, it causes you to do it or see it even if you wanted to avoid it before.
My grandmother had always lived in her own house before, but her car accident forced her to come and live with us.- similar words:
- bind, drive, elbow, press, pressure, propel, push
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| related words: |
command, exact, jam, make, open, pick, poke, run, thrust |
| derivation: |
forced (adj.) |
Force comes from fortis, a Latin word that means "strong." This Latin word is also the source of our words fort and fortify.
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