What does “force” mean?
- 1
nounphysical strength or violence
The police had to use force to open the door.
- 2
verbto make someone do something they do not want to do
Bad weather forced us to cancel the trip.
- 3
nouna group of people, such as soldiers or police, trained for a job
He joined the air force after school.
Force at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun & verb
- CEFR level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /fɔrs/ · FORS
How to use “force” correctly
The pattern is “force someone to do something”: “They forced him to leave.”
Common phrases with “force”
- force sb to do sth
- air force
- work force
- by force
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- forceful
- forcefully
- forced
“force” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- movement nounB1a change of position or place
- power nounA2control or influence over people and events
- race nounA2a competition to see who is fastest
- fight verbA2to use physical force against someone, or to take part in a war
- kill verbA2to cause a person, animal or plant to die
- agreement nounB1an arrangement or promise between people, groups or countries
- campaign nounB1a planned set of activities to achieve a goal, such as winning an election
- candidate nounB1a person who is trying to be chosen for a job or elected to a position