force */*/*/

I UK [fɔː(r)s] / US [fɔrs] noun
Word forms "force":
singular force plural forces

1)

a) [uncountable] physical strength, or violence

They accused the police of using excessive force during the arrest.

by force:

The army took control of the region by force.

You can achieve more by persuasion than by brute force (= physical force alone).

b) the power or energy produced by one thing hitting another

His body swung round with the force of the blow.

The office block took the full force of the blast.

2)

a) [uncountable] the influence or powerful effect that someone has

We have convinced people by the force of our argument.

force of personality:

He persuaded them to re-elect him by sheer force of personality.

b) [countable] someone or something that has a powerful influence on what happens

the social and political forces that shape people's lives

For years he was a dominant force in Spanish politics.

force for:

The UN is a force for stability.

The most obvious force for change in industry is technical advance.

driving force (= the most important influence):

She was certainly the driving force behind the campaign.

3)

a) [countable] physics a power that makes an object move or that changes the way it moves

the force of gravity

electromagnetic forces

b) used with a number for describing how strong a wind is

a force 9 gale

4) [countable] a group of people doing military or police work

Both countries have now withdrawn their forces from the area.

a UN peacekeeping force

a) a group of people who work together for a particular purpose

an effective sales force

b) the force

informal the police

Bill was a senior police officer, who joined the force back in 1982.

See:

task force

5) the Forces

[plural] British the army, navy, and air force of a country

•

by/through force of circumstances — because of the situation that you are in, which forces you to do a particular thing

the forces of darkness/evil — evil influences, for example the devil

join/combine forces — to start to work together in order to achieve a shared goal

Scientists and dairy farmers should join forces to overcome variations in milk quality.

through/from force of habit — without thinking, because you always do a particular thing

I locked the door from force of habit.

- a force to be reckoned with

- the forces of nature

- in force

II UK [fɔː(r)s] / US [fɔrs] verb [transitive]
Word forms "force":
present tense I/you/we/they force he/she/it forces present participle forcing past tense forced past participle forced

Metaphor:

Forcing someone to do something is like putting physical pressure on them, or pulling or pushing them. They put pressure on him to go. ♦ I was under a lot of pressure. ♦ I felt very pressured. ♦ She pushed me into agreeing. ♦ He was hauled in by the police for questioning. ♦ They squeezed a confession out of him. ♦ The country was dragged into war. ♦ They kept pressing me for an answer. ♦ I didn't want to do it, but they twisted my arm. ♦ She managed to twist/wrap me around her little finger. ➡ power

1)

a) to make someone do something that they do not want to do, for example by using or threatening to use violence

force someone to do something:

He claims that police officers forced him to sign a confession.

Three judges have been forced to resign because of corruption scandals.

force yourself to do something:

Despite the pain, she forced herself to get out of bed.

force someone into doing something:

You can't force him into going out with you.

force someone into/out of something:

Two men forced him into the back of the van.

b) if an event or situation forces you to do something, you have to do it even if you do not want to

force someone to do something:

Bad health forced her to abandon her studies.

force someone into/out of something:

Lack of skills forces these young men into low-paid jobs.

Falling sales eventually forced them out of business.

2) to use physical force to move something in a particular direction

force something through/into/out of something:

She forced the package through the slot.

Use a strong jet of water to force blockages out of the pipe.

a) to use physical force to open something that is locked

Police say the back window has been forced.

force something open:

We had to force the door open.

force a lock (= break it):

If she doesn't have a key, we'll have to force the lock.

b) to use physical strength to move somewhere by pushing people or things away

force your way through/into something:

She had to force her way through the crowd.

3) to make something happen

Opposition to the plans forced a rapid reversal of policy.

The Knicks scored in the closing seconds, forcing the game into overtime.

4) to make a plant grow faster than it would normally, for example by giving it extra heat or light

•

force a smile/laugh — to smile or laugh when you do not really feel like it

- force someone's hand

- force the issue

- force the pace

Phrasal verbs:

- force back

- force down

- force on

- force upon

- force out of

- force through

- force up