coerced; coercing
1
: to compel to an act or choice
was coerced into agreeing
abusers who coerce their victims into silence
2
: to achieve by force or threat
coerce compliance
coerce obedience
3
: to restrain or dominate by force
religion in the past has tried to coerce the irreligious—
W. R. Inge
W. R. IngeExamples of coerce in a Sentence
A confession was coerced from the suspect by police.
was coerced into signing the document
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump’s rocky relationship with Zelensky goes back five years—to when Trump first held up military assistance Congress had authorized for Ukraine to coerce Zelensky into investigating his political rival Joe Biden.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025
A week later, the White House used the threat of tariffs to coerce Mexico into dispatching thousands of additional troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to combat fentanyl smuggling.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
In effect, the White House is using areas where America is exceptional – financial markets, the military and multinationals – to coerce its allies.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
As a result, the Trump administration’s threat to remove federal funding, which both public and private educational institutions rely heavily on, is likely to coerce compliance, at least to some degree.
—Paul M. Collins Jr., The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coerce
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Brian Bennett, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025
A week later, the White House used the threat of tariffs to coerce Mexico into dispatching thousands of additional troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to combat fentanyl smuggling.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025
In effect, the White House is using areas where America is exceptional – financial markets, the military and multinationals – to coerce its allies.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
As a result, the Trump administration’s threat to remove federal funding, which both public and private educational institutions rely heavily on, is likely to coerce compliance, at least to some degree.
—Paul M. Collins Jr., The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coerce
Cite this Entry
“Coerce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coerce. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coerce
verb
co·erce
kō-ˈərs 
coerced; coercing
: to cause someone to do something by force or threat
coercion
noun
-ˈər-zhən
-shən
coercive
adjective
-ˈər-siv
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