1
as in coercing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the public outcry from the scandal forced the mayor to resign road construction forced them to take an alternate route
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violating
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent
was accused of forcing a woman
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Recent Examples of forcing
The Heat did it by sitting in its zone defense for most of the night, slowing the 76ers and forcing them into 17 non-paint two-point shots.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
The decision drew immediate fire from El-Sayed's primary opponents and national Democratic figures, forcing a rare public reckoning over how far the party should go to recapture young men who abandoned it in record numbers in 2024.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
King said the street in front of his home, Fern Hollow Road, washed away in a landslide, forcing PennDOT to come out and fix it.
—Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
In addition to rising uncertainty, the energy shock and other material shortages are forcing companies to grapple with immediate tangible effects, such as the higher cost of living for workers and customers, noted Elizabeth Renter, NerdWallet’s senior economist.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
The administration has said construction on the ballroom would begin in April, forcing Leon to rule quickly after a March hearing.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Trump’s executive order immediately cut millions of dollars in funding from the Education Department to PBS for its children’s programming, forcing the system to lay off one-third of the PBS Kids staff.
—Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The video shows Ritchson riding on the motorbike when a man, Taylor, steps in front of the bike, forcing Ritchson to stop.
—Austin Mullen, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Nothing might seem to have longer odds in deep-red Oklahoma than an effort to lessen punishments for violent crimes, but overcrowded prisons and rising costs were already forcing a rethinking of harsh, decades-old sentencing laws.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
The decision drew immediate fire from El-Sayed's primary opponents and national Democratic figures, forcing a rare public reckoning over how far the party should go to recapture young men who abandoned it in record numbers in 2024.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
King said the street in front of his home, Fern Hollow Road, washed away in a landslide, forcing PennDOT to come out and fix it.
—Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
In addition to rising uncertainty, the energy shock and other material shortages are forcing companies to grapple with immediate tangible effects, such as the higher cost of living for workers and customers, noted Elizabeth Renter, NerdWallet’s senior economist.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
The administration has said construction on the ballroom would begin in April, forcing Leon to rule quickly after a March hearing.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Trump’s executive order immediately cut millions of dollars in funding from the Education Department to PBS for its children’s programming, forcing the system to lay off one-third of the PBS Kids staff.
—Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The video shows Ritchson riding on the motorbike when a man, Taylor, steps in front of the bike, forcing Ritchson to stop.
—Austin Mullen, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Nothing might seem to have longer odds in deep-red Oklahoma than an effort to lessen punishments for violent crimes, but overcrowded prisons and rising costs were already forcing a rethinking of harsh, decades-old sentencing laws.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forcing
Verb
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Indonesia responded the following day by coercing the UDT and APODETI, among others, into issuing and signing the Balibo Declaration, which proclaimed the integration of East Timor into Indonesia.—
Agathe Demarolle,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Mar. 2026
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Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.—
Brittany Kubicko,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In their filing in Sacramento Superior Court, the residents accuse city officials of violating Measure O, which mandates that interim shelters sit more than 500 feet away from bodies of water or streams.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Sculptor and illustrator Jacques Tilly, who designed the aforementioned float, has been reported to the police for disseminating hate speech and violating the Criminal Code, which prohibits the use of Nazi imagery for purposes not expressly linked to art, scholarship, teaching, or reporting.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.—
Elliott Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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City staff, however, expressed concerns about the request, compelling the recycling plant to instead propose a new shear in the same location as the current one and reducing the new shear's size.—
Jessie Christopher Smith,
Oklahoman,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The execution of a former police officer convicted of murdering and raping a young girl nearly 40 years ago will remain on hold after the state Supreme Court on Monday denied the state’s request to lift the stay, according to court documents.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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People all over the globe were in disbelief that a man could perpetuate a campaign of drugging and raping his wife without her knowledge, and even more sickened that dozens of men joined him in his crimes.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
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This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.—
Daniel Shoer Roth,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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According to Sadriu, officers learned that Cupe was allegedly assaulting a woman in the park when a bystander intervened in an effort to stop the assault.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
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The untitled film marks Majors’ first movie in four years after he was dropped from numerous projects when found guilty in 2023 of assaulting his former girlfriend.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In civil aerospace, for example, Rolls is benefiting as manufacturers Airbus and Boeing struggle to deliver new aircraft at the pace the market requires — obliging airlines to keep flying old planes (and their engines) for longer.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
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Black has sometimes driven for miles to a particular cemetery only to find a funeral under way, obliging him to leave empty-handed.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Prominent Jesuit High School alumni — including developers Angelo and Kyriakos Tsakopoulos — issued an open letter pressuring the school to reverse its decision to go co-ed in fall 2027.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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The wildcard for Cisco and many of its tech peers is the worldwide shortage of memory, which is pushing up costs and pressuring margins.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forcing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forcing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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