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force

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verb [transitive] British English pronunciation: force /fɔː(r)s/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theyforce
he/she/itforces
present participleforcing
past tenseforced
past participleforced
 
  1. 1
    to make someone do something that they do not want to do, for example by using or threatening to use violence
    force someone to do something:

    He claims that police officers forced him to sign a confession.

    Three judges have been forced to resign because of corruption scandals.

    force yourself to do something:

    Despite the pain, she forced herself to get out of bed.

    force someone into doing something:

    You can’t force him into going out with you.

    force someone into/out of something:

    Two men forced him into the back of the van.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  forceThesaurus entry for this meaning of force
    1. a.
      if an event or situation forces you to do something, you have to do it even if you do not want to
      force someone to do something:

      Bad health forced her to abandon her studies.

      force someone into/out of something:

      Lack of skills forces these young men into low-paid jobs.

      Falling sales eventually forced them out of business.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  forceThesaurus entry for this meaning of force
  2. 2
    to use physical force to move something in a particular direction
    force something through/into/out of something:

    She forced the package through the slot.

    Use a strong jet of water to force blockages out of the pipe.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  forceThesaurus entry for this meaning of force
    1. a.
      to use physical force to open something that is locked

      Police say the back window has been forced.

      force something open:

      We had to force the door open.

      force a lock (=break it):

      If she doesn’t have a key, we’ll have to force the lock.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  forceThesaurus entry for this meaning of force
    2. b.
      to use physical strength to move somewhere by pushing people or things away
      force your way through/into something:

      She had to force her way through the crowd.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  forceThesaurus entry for this meaning of force
  3. 3
    to make something happen

    Opposition to the plans forced a rapid reversal of policy.

    The Knicks scored in the closing seconds, forcing the game into overtime.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  forceThesaurus entry for this meaning of force

This is the British English definition of force. View American English definition of force.

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