as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
a promise obtained by coercion is never binding
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Recent Examples of coercion
By the same principle, public discourse is authentic only when no participant is excluded, no opinion is forbidden, and no one is subjected to coercion.
—
Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Read some of the Statesman’s award-winning articles below, including investigations into an ICE raid in a small farming community, concerns of religious coercion at the Boise State Football program, and why students with disabilities are struggling in Idaho schools.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 3 May 2026
In California, the Bane Act allows lawsuits against those who use threats, coercion or intimidation to violate a person’s constitutional rights.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
This language also obscures the ultimatums presented to Iran under threat of American force, making coercion sound like collaboration.
—Atom Ariola, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coercion
Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Read some of the Statesman’s award-winning articles below, including investigations into an ICE raid in a small farming community, concerns of religious coercion at the Boise State Football program, and why students with disabilities are struggling in Idaho schools.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 3 May 2026
In California, the Bane Act allows lawsuits against those who use threats, coercion or intimidation to violate a person’s constitutional rights.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026
This language also obscures the ultimatums presented to Iran under threat of American force, making coercion sound like collaboration.
—Atom Ariola, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coercion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercion
Noun
-
Small-town social pressure could be a useful tool, too.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Zelenskyy vowed to keep pressure on Moscow to make concessions in talks.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
But, within the constraints of reality, what would actually make that vision work?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Page cited a combination of federal funding cuts, skyrocketing health care costs, diminishing enrollment and more behind the budget constraints, while local teachers cited local investment issues as well.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Alcaraz is aware of the public compulsion to analyze his looks.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
-
Writing arrived as a compulsion, transmuting grief into something palatable and art-like, like a View-Master stereoscope with kaleidoscope slides.—
Eli Raphael,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Her chief lieutenants in this operation are Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Sid (Henry Cavill), who specialize in intimidation, surveillance, bribery, and other assorted sins.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
At the time of the armed assault in May 2020, Brown was on probation for a 2014 conviction for assault and battery with a knife and witness intimidation.—
Mike Toole,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The president pressed Nigeria last fall to take more action against terrorism, accusing the country of failing to deal with rampant violence against Christians.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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The project highlights growing international interest in elevated Latin American genre cinema blending political commentary, suspense, violence and social critique.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coercion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coercion. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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