Coerce

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /koʊˈɝs/

Definitions

1. To force an individual to act or decide in a specific manner through threats, pressure, or manipulation
2. To compel compliance or agreement from someone by employing coercive tactics or intimidation
3. To make someone do something by applying force or threats against their will

Etymology: The verb "coerce" goes back to Latin "coërceō," which meant to surround, enclose, restrain or curb. It was built from "co-," meaning "together," and "arceō," meaning to confine or keep off. The Latin sense was physical and containing: to hem something in, to keep it within bounds. Those confining images are still visible in the English word, which has always carried the idea of holding someone within limits they would not choose. The English meaning narrowed over time from general restraint to the more specific sense of forcing someone to act or agree through pressure, threats or intimidation. That shift from keeping something within bounds to forcing a person's will is the key to the modern usage, in which the pressure is applied to a person rather than to a space or object.

Synonyms: force, compel, intimidate, pressure

Antonyms: persuade, encourage, allow