as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
complied with the order only under duress
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Recent Examples of duress
The suit said that in prior contacts with Tranckino, deputies were assisted by a Crisis Assessment Team, comprised of professionals trained in working with those in mental duress.
—
Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Weekend Update The Weekend Updates desk jokes are fine to good, especially considering some of them were rewritten under duress.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
Lower lids folded inward, placing optic nerves under duress, a literal reflection of breeder shortsightedness.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The women requested more time to decide, while some signed under duress, Jetson said.
—Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
Weekend Update The Weekend Updates desk jokes are fine to good, especially considering some of them were rewritten under duress.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 1 Mar. 2026
Lower lids folded inward, placing optic nerves under duress, a literal reflection of breeder shortsightedness.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The women requested more time to decide, while some signed under duress, Jetson said.
—Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duress
Noun
-
Lago explained in a March 10 meeting that the fee would make required maintenance cheaper and easier for business owners, while letting the city manage sidewalk pressure-cleaning and repairs, landscaping and streetscape upkeep to clean and beautify the city.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Geopolitical shifts compound these pressures.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of these clouds could be thick enough to trigger launch constraints.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
While efforts to curb reliance on virgin synthetics have largely centered on recycled polyester, that approach has faced cost, feedstock and scaling constraints.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the man had a normal level of intelligence and lacked any compulsion to injure himself.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Written by Mescudi, Doe explores themes of addiction and survival through the lens of a man living on the streets of Hollywood who, over the course of 24 hours, drifts through a series of encounters that pull him in and out of the cycles of his compulsion.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Any group of employees that forms an internal clique with secret membership, intimidation, special treatment, or retaliation is incompatible with public service and will be eliminated from this department.—
Opinion Staff,
Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
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Tycie Denise Parham, 48, and Gerald Keith Towns, 62, are both charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, witness intimidation and conspiracy to commit witness intimidation.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Unlike other crimes that use hacking or social engineering scams to access victims’ funds remotely, wrench attacks rely on more brutish methods of coercion like kidnapping and torture.—
Megan Cassidy,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
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The most violent and thuggish regime on earth would be free to carry out their campaigns of terror, coercion, conquest, and mass murder from behind a nuclear shield.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duress. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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