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coerce
6 dictionary results for: Coerce
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
co·erce       [koh-urs] Pronunciation Key
–verb (used with object), -erced, -erc·ing.
1.to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, esp. without regard for individual desire or volition: They coerced him into signing the document.
2.to bring about through the use of force or other forms of compulsion; exact: to coerce obedience.
3.to dominate or control, esp. by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc.: The state is based on successfully coercing the individual.
[Origin: 1425–75; late ME < L coercére to hold in, restrain, equiv. to co- co- + -ercére, comb. form of arcére to keep in, keep away, akin to arca ark]

—Related forms
co·erc·er, noun
co·er·ci·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
co·erce       (kō-ûrs')  Pronunciation Key 
tr.v.   co·erced, co·erc·ing, co·erc·es
  1. To force to act or think in a certain way by use of pressure, threats, or intimidation; compel.
  2. To dominate, restrain, or control forcibly: coerced the strikers into compliance. See Synonyms at force.
  3. To bring about by force or threat: efforts to coerce agreement.


[Latin coercēre, to control, restrain : co-, co- + arcēre, to enclose, confine.]

co·erc'er n., co·erc'i·ble adj.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
coerce 
c.1451, from M.Fr. cohercer, from L. coercere "to control, restrain," from com- "together" + arcere "to enclose, confine, contain, ward off," from PIE *ark- "to hold, contain, guard." Coercion in political sense of "government by force" first attested 1798, in reference to British authority in Ireland.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
coerce

verb
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" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: co·erce
Pronunciation: kO-'&rs
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: co·erced; co·erc·ing
: to subject (a person) to coercion —compare IMPORTUNE, SOLICIT

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Coerce

Co*erce"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Coerced; p. pr. & vb. n. Coercing.] [L. co["e]rcere; co- + arcere to shut up, to press together. See Ark.]

1. To restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb. --Burke.

Punishments are manifold, that they may coerce this profligate sort. --Ayliffe.

2. To compel or constrain to any action; as, to coerce a man to vote for a certain candidate.

3. To compel or enforce; as, to coerce obedience.

Syn: To Coerce, Compel.

Usage: To compel denotes to urge on by force which cannot be resisted. The term aplies equally to physical and moral force; as, compelled by hunger; compelled adverse circumstances; compelled by parental affection. Coerce had at first only the negative sense of checking or restraining by force; as, to coerce a bad man by punishments or a prisoner with fetters. It has now gained a positive sense., viz., that of driving a person into the performance of some act which is required of him by another; as, to coerce a man to sign a contract; to coerce obedience. In this sense (which is now the prevailing one), coerce differs but little from compel, and yet there is a distinction between them. Coercion is usually acomplished by indirect means, as threats and intimidation, physical force being more rarely employed in coercing.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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