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
Jealous neighbors had reported them to authorities, or colleagues who had been arrested named them under duress.
—
M. Gessen, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Organs have been reportedly removed in hospitals under duress, and women are routinely raped or executed for speaking their truth.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
Mitigators work in the other direction, articulating a spectrum of factors that might support lessened punishment, such as the defendant having no prior criminal record, or acting under significant duress.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
Several members have since parted ways with the group and revised their statements to police, saying that their original testimony was made under duress from the group’s leaders, according to Colton Police Sgt.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
M. Gessen, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Organs have been reportedly removed in hospitals under duress, and women are routinely raped or executed for speaking their truth.
—Maryam Lieberman, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
Mitigators work in the other direction, articulating a spectrum of factors that might support lessened punishment, such as the defendant having no prior criminal record, or acting under significant duress.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
Several members have since parted ways with the group and revised their statements to police, saying that their original testimony was made under duress from the group’s leaders, according to Colton Police Sgt.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for duress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duress
Noun
-
To transmit more power, there are two ways – either a larger hose (thicker cables and higher current) or higher pressure (higher voltage).—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Around the same time, Southwest’s management came under pressure following an activist takeover by Elliott Investment Management.—
Dallas Morning News,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Experts point to restricted access to advanced chips and limited capital as lingering constraints.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Shein says Iran may be stalling diplomatically to see whether Washington limits talks to nuclear issues while avoiding missile constraints.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Within a week, the compulsions disappeared.—
J. Aaron Sanders,
STAT,
4 Feb. 2026
-
James, not unlike his alcoholic father, is at the mercy of his compulsions.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Fears of intimidation and impersonation Álvarez said the concerns stem from individuals allegedly posing as immigration agents in Dallas neighborhoods.—
Steve Pickett,
CBS News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
These measures are vital to maintain public trust, prevent voter intimidation, and ensure that our elections can be administered securely, fairly, and transparently.—
State Rep. Matt Blumenthal,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
No other group of voters must endure such regular coercion.—
Torsha Childs,
New York Daily News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The other prohibits using threats, coercion or fraud in certain voting processes.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duress. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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