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 has in the past tried to coerce the irreligious …—
William Ralph Inge
William Ralph 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
The intelligence reports warn that 764 and its many offshoots have expanded into a transnational, online network that glorifies violence and tries to coerce people, often minors, to hurt themselves or others.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Criminals usually target people who have publicly boasted about their crypto winnings, and physically coerce them to give up their Bitcoin key.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
The plaintiffs argued that the surge was not genuinely aimed at curbing immigration violations, but was designed instead to coerce the cities and the state into participating in federal immigration enforcement, a violation of the 10th Amendment.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
According to the recent court filings, members are coerced to provide all of the labor in the GCCA compound without compensation.
—Jane Borden, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coerce
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Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Criminals usually target people who have publicly boasted about their crypto winnings, and physically coerce them to give up their Bitcoin key.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
The plaintiffs argued that the surge was not genuinely aimed at curbing immigration violations, but was designed instead to coerce the cities and the state into participating in federal immigration enforcement, a violation of the 10th Amendment.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
According to the recent court filings, members are coerced to provide all of the labor in the GCCA compound without compensation.
—Jane Borden, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coerce
Cite this Entry
“Coerce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coerce. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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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