force of will

noun phrase

: ability to continue trying despite difficulties : determination
She succeeded by/through sheer force of will.

Examples of force of will in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He is used to overcoming the odds and helping drag his teams over the line through sheer force of will. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025 Govan, through sheer force of will, has decided to rip up the entire idea of what a museum can be. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 6 Mar. 2026 But the future will not be built by exhausted people holding together fragmented systems through sheer force of will. — Vicki Phillips, Forbes.com, 9 June 2026 Khamenei staved off that adjustment for nearly four decades through force of will, brutality, and the conviction that bending would mean breaking. — Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for force of will

Rhymes for force of will

See All Rhymes for force of will

Browse Nearby Words

force of nature
force of will
force one's hand
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Force of will.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/force%20of%20will. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All