coercion

[ koh-ur-shuhn ]
See synonyms for coercion on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of coercing; use of force or intimidation to obtain compliance.

  2. force or the power to use force in gaining compliance, as by a government or police force.

Origin of coercion

1
First recorded in 1515–25; from Medieval Latin coerciōn- stem of coerciō, shortened from coercitiō, from coercit(us) “restrained” (past participle of coercēre “to hold in, restrain”; see coerce) + -iō -ion; replacing late Middle English cohercion, from Middle French, from Latin, as above

Other words from coercion

  • co·er·cion·ar·y, adjective
  • co·er·cion·ist, noun
  • non·co·er·cion, noun
  • pro·co·er·cion, adjective

Words Nearby coercion

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How to use coercion in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for coercion

coercion

/ (kəʊˈɜːʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or power of coercing

  2. government by force

Derived forms of coercion

  • coercionist, noun
  • coercive (kəʊˈɜːsɪv), adjective
  • coercively, adverb
  • coerciveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012