Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Coerce
Co-erce′
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Coerced
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Coercing
.] 1.
To restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb.
Burke.
Punishments are manifold, that they may
coerce
this profligate sort. Ayliffe.
2.
To compel or constrain to any action;
as, to
. coerce
a man to vote for a certain candidate To compel denotes to urge on by force which cannot be resisted. The term aplies equally to physical and moral force; as, compelled by hunger; compelled adverse circumstances; compelled by parental affection. Coerce had at first only the negative sense of checking or restraining by force; as, to coerce a bad man by punishments or a prisoner with fetters. It has now gained a positive sense., viz., that of driving a person into the performance of some act which is required of him by another; as, to coerce a man to sign a contract; to coerce obedience. In this sense (which is now the prevailing one), coerce differs but little from compel, and yet there is a distinction between them. Coercion is usually acomplished by indirect means, as threats and intimidation, physical force being more rarely employed in coercing.
– Co-er′ci-ble-ness
, Noun.
Webster 1828 Edition
Coerce
COERCE
,1.
To restrain by force; to keep from acting, or transgressing, particularly by moral force, as by law or authority; to repress.2.
To compel; to constrain.These causes--coerced by those which preceded and coercing those which followed.
Definition 2024
coerce
coerce
See also: coërce
English
Verb
coerce (third-person singular simple present coerces, present participle coercing, simple past and past participle coerced)
- (transitive) To restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb.
- (transitive) To use force, threat, fraud, or intimidation in attempt to compel one to act against his will.
- (transitive, computing) To force an attribute, normally of a data type, to take on the attribute of another data type.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb
|
to use force, threat, or intimidation in attempt to compel one to act against his will
|
to force an attribute, normally of a data type, to take on the attribute of another data type
External links
- coerce in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- coerce in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911