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What does force mean?

Definitions for force
fɔrs, foʊrsforce

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word force.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. forcenoun

    a powerful effect or influence

    "the force of his eloquence easily persuaded them"

  2. forcenoun

    (physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity

    "force equals mass times acceleration"

  3. force, forcefulness, strengthnoun

    physical energy or intensity

    "he hit with all the force he could muster"; "it was destroyed by the strength of the gale"; "a government has not the vitality and forcefulness of a living man"

  4. force, personnelnoun

    group of people willing to obey orders

    "a public force is necessary to give security to the rights of citizens"

  5. military unit, military force, military group, forcenoun

    a unit that is part of some military service

    "he sent Caesar a force of six thousand men"

  6. violence, forcenoun

    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"

  7. power, forcenoun

    one possessing or exercising power or influence or authority

    "the mysterious presence of an evil power"; "may the force be with you"; "the forces of evil"

  8. forcenoun

    a group of people having the power of effective action

    "he joined forces with a band of adventurers"

  9. effect, forcenoun

    (of a law) having legal validity

    "the law is still in effect"

  10. force out, force-out, force play, forceverb

    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"

  11. coerce, hale, squeeze, pressure, forceverb

    to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in the city"

    "He squeezed her for information"

  12. impel, forceverb

    urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate

  13. push, forceverb

    move with force, "He pushed the table into a corner"

  14. force, thrustverb

    impose urgently, importunately, or inexorably

    "She forced her diet fads on him"

  15. wedge, squeeze, forceverb

    squeeze like a wedge into a tight space

    "I squeezed myself into the corner"

  16. force, drive, ramverb

    force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically

    "She rammed her mind into focus"; "He drives me mad"

  17. pull, draw, forceverb

    cause to move by pulling

    "draw a wagon"; "pull a sled"

  18. forceverb

    do forcibly; exert force

    "Don't force it!"

  19. storm, forceverb

    take by force

    "Storm the fort"

Wiktionary

  1. Forcenoun

    Falls.

  2. Etymology: From fors. Cognate with Swedish fors

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. FORCEnoun

    Etymology: force, French; fortis, Latin.

    He never could maintain his part but in the force of his will. William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing.

    A ship, which hath struck sail, doth run
    By force of that force which before it won. John Donne.

    Thus got the house of Lancaster the crown,
    Which now they hold by force, and not by right. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

    The shepherd Paris bore the Spartan bride
    By force away, and then by force enjoy’d;
    But I by free consent. Dryden.

    Manifest it is, that the very majesty and holiness of the place where God is worshipped, hath, in regard of us, great virtue, force and efficacy; for that it serveth as a sensible help to stir up devotion. Richard Hooker, b. v. s. 16.

    No definitions, no suppositions of any sect, are of force enough to destroy constant experience. John Locke.

    A testament is of force after men are dead. Heb. ix. 17.

    Not long in force this charter stood;
    Wanting that seal, it must be seal’d in blood. John Denham.

    O Thou! whose captain I account myself,
    Look on my forces with a gracious eye. William Shakespeare, Richard III.

    The secret of the power of Spain consisteth in a veteran army, compounded of miscellany forces of all nations. Francis Bacon.

    A greater force than that which here we find,
    Ne’er press’d the ocean, nor employ’d the wind. Edmund Waller.

    Those victorious forces of the rebels were not able to sustain your arms. Dryden.

  2. To Forceverb

    Etymology: from the noun.

    Dangers are light, if they once seem light; and more dangers have deceived men than forced them. Francis Bacon.

    I have been forced to use the cant words of Whig and Tory. Jonathan Swift, Examiner.

    The actions and operations did force them upon dividing the single idea. Alexander Pope, View of Epick Poem.

    O that fortune
    Had brought me to the field where thou art fam’d
    To have wrought such wonders with an ass’s jaw,
    I should have forc’d thee soon with other arms. John Milton.

    With fates averse, the rout in arms resort,
    To force their monarch and insult the court. John Dryden, Æn.

    Thou shalt not destroy the trees by forcing an ax against them. Deutr.
    20. 19.

    Stooping, the spear descended on his chine,
    Just where the bone distinguish’d either loin:
    It stuck so fast, so deeply bury’d lay,
    That scarce the victor forc’d the steel away. John Dryden, Æn.

    Three blust’ring nights, born by the southern blast,
    I floated, and discover’d land at last:
    High on a mounting wave my head I bore,
    Forcing my strength, and gath’ring to the shore. John Dryden, Æn.

    This way of flattering their willing benefactors out of part, contrived another of forcing their unwilling neighbours out of all their possessions. Decay of Piety.

    To free the ports, and ope the Punique land
    To Trojan guests; lest, ignorant of fate,
    The queen might force them from her town and state. Dryd.

    My heart was your’s; but, oh! you left it here
    Abandon’d to those tyrants hope and fear:
    If they forc’d from me one kind look or word,
    Could you not that, nor that small part afford? Dryden.

    Troy wall’d so high,
    Atrides might as well have forc’d the sky. Edmund Waller.

    Heav’n from all ages wisely did provide
    This wealth, and for the bravest nation hide;
    Who with four hundred foot, and forty horse,
    Dare boldly go a new-found world to force. John Dryden, Ind. Emp.

    Force her. —— I like it not. Dryden.

    Our general taste in England is for epigram, turns of wit, and forced conceits. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 409.

    Here let them lye,
    ’Till famine and the ague eat them up:
    Were they not forc’d with those that should be our’s,
    We might have met them dareful, beard to beard. William Shakespeare.

    If you find that any great number of soldiers be newly sent into Oroonoque, and that the passages be already forced, then be well advised how you land. Walter Raleigh, Apology.

    The tricks used in convening synods might force out an expression from him, that did not carry all the respect due to those great names. Francis Atterbury.

    The heat of the dispute had forced out from him expressions that seemed to make his doctrine run higher than really it did. Francis Atterbury.

  3. To Forceverb

    To lay stress upon. This word I have only found in the following passage.

    That morning that he was to join battle with Harold, his armorer put on his backpiece before, and his breastplate behind; the which being espied by some that stood by, was taken among them for an ill token, and therefore advised him not to fight that day; to whom the duke answered, I force not of such fooleries; but if I have any skill in soothsaying, as in sooth I have none, it doth prognosticate that I shall change copy from a duke to a king. William Camden, Remains.

Wikipedia

  1. Force

    In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a push or a pull. A force has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity. It is measured in the SI unit of newton (N). Force is represented by the symbol F (formerly P). The original form of Newton's second law states that the net force acting upon an object is equal to the rate at which its momentum changes with time. If the mass of the object is constant, this law implies that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on the object, is in the direction of the net force, and is inversely proportional to the mass of the object. Concepts related to force include: thrust, which increases the velocity of an object; drag, which decreases the velocity of an object; and torque, which produces changes in rotational speed of an object. In an extended body, each part usually applies forces on the adjacent parts; the distribution of such forces through the body is the internal mechanical stress. Such internal mechanical stresses cause no acceleration of that body as the forces balance one another. Pressure, the distribution of many small forces applied over an area of a body, is a simple type of stress that if unbalanced can cause the body to accelerate. Stress usually causes deformation of solid materials, or flow in fluids.

ChatGPT

  1. force

    Force is a vector quantity that refers to the interaction that changes, or has the potential to change, the motion of an object. Often described by the equation F=ma (force equals mass times acceleration), it is typically measured in the unit of Newtons (N). Forces can be either push or pull, and they always occur in pairs - equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Forceverb

    to stuff; to lard; to farce

  2. Forcenoun

    a waterfall; a cascade

  3. Forcenoun

    strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigor; might; often, an unusual degree of strength or energy; capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect; especially, power to persuade, or convince, or impose obligation; pertinency; validity; special signification; as, the force of an appeal, an argument, a contract, or a term

  4. Forcenoun

    power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion

  5. Forcenoun

    strength or power for war; hence, a body of land or naval combatants, with their appurtenances, ready for action; -- an armament; troops; warlike array; -- often in the plural; hence, a body of men prepared for action in other ways; as, the laboring force of a plantation

  6. Forcenoun

    strength or power exercised without law, or contrary to law, upon persons or things; violence

  7. Forcenoun

    validity; efficacy

  8. Forcenoun

    any action between two bodies which changes, or tends to change, their relative condition as to rest or motion; or, more generally, which changes, or tends to change, any physical relation between them, whether mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, magnetic, or of any other kind; as, the force of gravity; cohesive force; centrifugal force

  9. Forcenoun

    to constrain to do or to forbear, by the exertion of a power not resistible; to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means; to coerce; as, masters force slaves to labor

  10. Forcenoun

    to compel, as by strength of evidence; as, to force conviction on the mind

  11. Forcenoun

    to do violence to; to overpower, or to compel by violence to one;s will; especially, to ravish; to violate; to commit rape upon

  12. Forcenoun

    to obtain or win by strength; to take by violence or struggle; specifically, to capture by assault; to storm, as a fortress

  13. Forcenoun

    to impel, drive, wrest, extort, get, etc., by main strength or violence; -- with a following adverb, as along, away, from, into, through, out, etc

  14. Forcenoun

    to put in force; to cause to be executed; to make binding; to enforce

  15. Forcenoun

    to exert to the utmost; to urge; hence, to strain; to urge to excessive, unnatural, or untimely action; to produce by unnatural effort; as, to force a consient or metaphor; to force a laugh; to force fruits

  16. Forcenoun

    to compel (an adversary or partner) to trump a trick by leading a suit of which he has none

  17. Forcenoun

    to provide with forces; to reenforce; to strengthen by soldiers; to man; to garrison

  18. Forcenoun

    to allow the force of; to value; to care for

  19. Forceverb

    to use violence; to make violent effort; to strive; to endeavor

  20. Forceverb

    to make a difficult matter of anything; to labor; to hesitate; hence, to force of, to make much account of; to regard

  21. Forceverb

    to be of force, importance, or weight; to matter

  22. Etymology: [See Farce to stuff.]

Wikidata

  1. Force

    In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a certain change, either concerning its movement, direction, or geometrical construction. In other words, a force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity, i.e., to accelerate, or a flexible object to deform, or both. Force can also be described by intuitive concepts such as a push or a pull. A force has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity. It is measured in the SI unit of newtons and represented by the symbol F. The original form of Newton's second law states that the net force acting upon an object is equal to the rate at which its momentum changes with time. If the mass of the object is constant, this law implies that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on the object, is in the direction of the net force, and is inversely proportional to the mass of the object. As a formula, this is expressed as: where the arrows imply a vector quantity possessing both magnitude and direction. Related concepts to force include: thrust, which increases the velocity of an object; drag, which decreases the velocity of an object; and torque which produces changes in rotational speed of an object. In an extended body, each part usually applies forces on the adjacent parts; the distribution of such forces through the body is the so-called mechanical stress. Pressure is a simple type of stress. Stress usually causes deformation of solid materials, or flow in fluids.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Force

    fōrs, Foss, fos, n. a waterfall. [Ice. foss, fors.]

  2. Force

    fōrs, v.t. (cook.) to stuff, as a fowl.—n. Force′meat, meat chopped fine and highly seasoned, used as a stuffing or alone. [A corr. of farce.]

The Standard Electrical Dictionary

  1. Force

    Force may be variously defined. (a) Any cause of change of the condition of matter with respect to motion or rest. (b) A measurable action upon a body under which the state of rest of that body, or its state of uniform motion in a straight line, suffers change. (c) It may be defined by its measurement as the rate of change of momentum, or (d) as the rate at which work is done per unit of space traversed. Force is measured by the acceleration or change of motion it can impart to a body of unit mass in a unit of time, or, calling force, F, mass, m acceleration per second a we have F = m a. The dimensions of force are mass (M) * acceleration (L/(T^2)) = (M*L)/(T^2).

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms

  1. force

    1. An aggregation of military personnel, weapon systems, equipment, and necessary support, or combination thereof. 2. A major subdivision of a fleet.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. force

    A term which implies the sudden rush of water through a narrow rocky channel, and accompanied by a fall of the surface after the obstacle is passed. It is synonymous with fall. Also, the force of each ship stated agreeably to the old usage in the navy, according to the number of guns actually carried. In these days of iron-clads, turret-ships, and heavy guns, this does not give a true estimate of a ship's force. Also, the general force, ships, men, soldiers, &c., engaged in any expedition; as expeditionary force.--Also, force of wind, now described by numbers, 0 being calm, 12 the heaviest gale.--To force, is to take by storm; to force a passage by driving back the enemy.--Colloquially, no force--gently.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. force

    In its military application, signifies an army of all branches,—artillery, cavalry, and infantry. It is sometimes used in the plural number, but with the same signification; as, “commander of the forces;” and occasionally we find the word used in another sense, thus, “He is in great force.” To force, in broadsword exercise, is to break an adversary’s sword-guard, and either wound him or expose him to a wound.

  2. force

    To obtain or win by strength; to take by violence or struggle; specifically, to capture by assault; to storm, as a fortress. Also to impel, drive, wrest, extort, get, etc., by main strength or violence; with a following adverb, as along, away, from, into, through, out, etc.

  3. force

    To provide with forces; to reinforce; to strengthen by soldiers; to garrison.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. FORCE

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Force is ranked #8067 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Force surname appeared 4,108 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Force.

    92.9% or 3,817 total occurrences were White.
    2.3% or 97 total occurrences were Black.
    1.9% or 79 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.7% or 72 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.6% or 26 total occurrences were Asian.
    0.4% or 17 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'force' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #701

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'force' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1430

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'force' in Nouns Frequency: #120

  4. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'force' in Verbs Frequency: #201

How to pronounce force?

How to say force in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of force in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of force in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of force in a Sentence

  1. Ayn Rand:

    So long as [men] hold the tribal notion that the individual is sacrificial fodder for the collective, that some men have the right to rule others by force, and that some (any) alleged 'good' can justify it -- there can be no peace within a nation and no peace among nations.

  2. Saul Levine:

    She blew me away with her extraordinary optimism and energy, she is a force of nature.

  3. Richard Lapchick:

    I genuinely believe that the NBA, with Adam Silver as its current leader, is in this for the right reasons and has the support of the largest integrated labor force in America in terms of percentage of the population, they're also very wealthy, so they can use their resources — and this is new — to invest in social justice campaigns in their communities.

  4. Mitch McConnell:

    If any amendments are brought forward to force premature opinions on mid-trial questions, I will move to table such amendments, if a senator moves to amend the resolution in order to subpoena specific witnesses or documents, I will move to table such motions because the Senate will decide those questions later in the trial.

  5. John Milton:

    Who overcomes by force hath overcome but half his foe.

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

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References

Translations for force

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