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coerce

Pronunciation: /kəʊˈəːs/

Translate coerce | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of coerce

verb

[with object]
  • persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats:he was coerced into giving evidence
  • obtain (something) from someone by using force or threats:their confessions were allegedly coerced by torture

Derivatives

coercer

noun

coercible

adjective

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin coercere 'restrain', from co- 'together' + arcere 'restrain'

Spelling rule

Drop the final silent -e when adding -ing or -ed: (coerces, coercing, coerced).

coerce in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of coerce in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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