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
Its ballistic-missile program—the backbone of Tehran’s ability to coerce the region—has suffered immense damage.
—Richard Goldberg, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
As long as the intimacy coordinators are being hired by the studio, my view of their role is that their job is to coerce the actors into doing things, as opposed to advocate on their behalf against the studio.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Mar. 2026
The funny thing is, Austin fathered seven children in all, but only Dot, Betty and Helen were coerced into performing, and their father’s monomania is compared, quite alarmingly, to such bullying stage fathers as Murray Wilson (The Beach Boys) and Joe Jackson (The Jackson 5).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
However, in early 2026, Banegas claimed his attorneys coerced him into pleading guilty and sought to change his plea.
—Joan Murray, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coerce
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Richard Goldberg, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
As long as the intimacy coordinators are being hired by the studio, my view of their role is that their job is to coerce the actors into doing things, as opposed to advocate on their behalf against the studio.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Mar. 2026
The funny thing is, Austin fathered seven children in all, but only Dot, Betty and Helen were coerced into performing, and their father’s monomania is compared, quite alarmingly, to such bullying stage fathers as Murray Wilson (The Beach Boys) and Joe Jackson (The Jackson 5).
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
However, in early 2026, Banegas claimed his attorneys coerced him into pleading guilty and sought to change his plea.
—Joan Murray, CBS News, 7 Mar. 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 17 Mar. 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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