force
/fɔ:s/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- Physical power or strength: The capacity to do work or cause physical change; energy or intensity applied to an object.
- Coercion or compulsion: Power exerted upon someone against their will; violence or pressure.
- A body of people prepared for action: An organized group, especially a military or police unit.
- Influence or effectiveness: The power to affect, persuade, or impress.
- Validity or effect: The state of being operative, as in a law or rule.
- (Physics) An influence that changes motion: A vector quantity that can cause an object with mass to change its velocity.
Verb:
- To make someone do something against their will: To compel or coerce through pressure, threat, or strength.
- To achieve or move by using strength: To push, drive, or break open using physical power.
- To impose or strain: To cause something to happen or be accepted through effort or unnatural means.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The force of the wind knocked down the trees. (Physical power)
- They took the land by force. (Coercion)
- The police force maintained order. (Organized group)
- Her argument carried great force. (Influence)
- The new regulations are now in force. (Validity)
- Gravity is a fundamental force in nature. (Physics)
Verb:
- You can't force me to sign that document. (Compel)
- He forced the door open with his shoulder. (Move using strength)
- Don't force the key into the lock; you might break it. (Impose or strain)
Advanced Usage
"In force": Present in large numbers; or, legally valid and operative.
- Protesters turned out in force to oppose the new law.
- The old contract is no longer in force.
"Force someone's hand": To pressure someone into acting or revealing their plans sooner than intended.
- The leak of information forced the CEO's hand, making her announce the merger early.
"Force the issue": To take action to make a decision necessary, especially when others are avoiding it.
- We need to force the issue and get a final answer from the committee.
Variants and Related Words
- Forcible (adj): Done by or involving force; strong and effective.
- The police made a forcible entry.
- Forceful (adj): Powerful and assertive in character or expression.
- She is a forceful advocate for change.
- Enforce (v): To compel observance of or compliance with (a law, rule, or obligation).
- It is the government's duty to enforce the law.
Synonyms
- Noun: Strength, power, coercion, pressure, might, violence, unit, squad, validity, effect.
- Verb: Compel, coerce, pressure, drive, push, thrust, ram, wrench.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Force back: To suppress or hold back (e.g., tears, anger).
- She forced back her tears during the speech.
- Force out: To expel or cause someone to leave.
- The scandal forced the minister out of office.
- Force on/upon: To impose something unwanted on someone.
- He's always forcing his opinions on others.
Related Idioms
- Brute force: The use of sheer physical strength or power, without finesse or intelligence.
- We couldn't pick the lock, so we had to use brute force to break the door down.
- A force to be reckoned with: A person or thing of significant power or influence that must be taken seriously.
- After their latest victory, the team is a force to be reckoned with.
- Join/combine forces: To unite efforts with another person or group for a common purpose.
- The two charities joined forces to provide disaster relief.
Noun
- a putout of a base runner who is required to run; the putout is accomplished by holding the ball while touching the base to which the runner must advance before the runner reaches that base
- the shortstop got the runner at second on a force
- (of a law) having legal validity
- the law is still in effect
- a group of people having the power of effective action
- he joined forces with a band of adventurers
- one possessing or exercising power or influence or authority
- the mysterious presence of an evil power
- may the force be with you
- the forces of evil
- an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
- he may accomplish by craft in the long run what he cannot do by force and violence in the short one
- a unit that is part of some military service
- he sent Caesar a force of six thousand men
- group of people willing to obey orders
- a public force is necessary to give security to the rights of citizens
- physical energy or intensity
- he hit with all the force he could muster
- it was destroyed by the strength of the gale
- a government has not the vitality and forcefulness of a living man
- (physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity
- force equals mass times acceleration
- a powerful effect or influence
- the force of his eloquence easily persuaded them
Verb
- take by force
- Storm the fort
- do forcibly; exert force
- Don't force it!
- cause to move by pulling
- draw a wagon
- pull a sled
- force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically
- She rammed her mind into focus
- He drives me mad
- squeeze like a wedge into a tight space
- I squeezed myself into the corner
- impose urgently, importunately, or inexorably
- She forced her diet fads on him
- move with force, "He pushed the table into a corner"
- urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate
- to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"
- He squeezed her for information