WordWeb Online

1. A powerful effect or influence
   "the force of his eloquence easily persuaded them"
    
2. (physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity
   "force equals mass times acceleration"
    
3. Physical energy or intensity
   "he hit with all the force he could muster"
   - forcefulness, strength
    
4. Group of people willing to obey orders
   "a public force is necessary to give security to the rights of citizens"
   - personnel
    
5. A unit that is part of some military service
   "he sent Caesar a force of six thousand men"
   - military unit, military force, military group
    
6. An act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
   "he may accomplish by craft in the long run what he cannot do by force and violence in the short one"
   - violence
    
7. One possessing or exercising power or influence or authority
   "may the force be with you"; "the forces of evil"
   - power
    
8. A group of people having the power of effective action
   "he joined forces with a band of adventurers"
    
9. (of a law) having legal validity
   - effect
    
10. A putout of a base runner who is required to run; the putout is accomplished by holding the ball while touching the base to which the runner must advance before the runner reaches that base
    "the shortstop got the runner at second on a force"
    - force out, force-out, force play

1. To cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
   "She forced him to take a job in the city"
   - coerce, hale [archaic], squeeze, pressure
    
2. Urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate
   - impel
    
3. Move with force, "He pushed the table into a corner"
   - push
    
4. Impose urgently, importunately, or inexorably
   "She forced her diet fads on him"
   - thrust
    
5. Squeeze like a wedge into a tight space
   - wedge, squeeze
    
6. Force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically
   - drive, ram
    
7. Cause to move by pulling
   - pull, draw
    
8. Do forcibly; exert force
   "Don't force it!"
    
9. Take by force
   - storm

Derived forms: forces, forcing, forced

See also: force back, force out, forced, forcible

Type of: act, aggression, causal agency, causal agent, cause, compel, displace, do, hostility, influence, intensity, intensiveness, make, move, obligate, oblige, organisation [Brit], organization, penetrate, perforate, physical phenomenon, putout, social group, social unit, thrust, unit, validity, validness

Part of: armed service, military service, service

Encyclopedia: Force Force, Italy