coercion

noun

kō-ˈər-zhən How to pronounce coercion (audio)
Definition of coercionnext
as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another a promise obtained by coercion is never binding

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of coercion The Buildings Department plans to bolster the good will Pilku’s counting on with a suite of regulatory changes that are working their way through the system, some of them in the form of incentive rather than coercion. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 24 June 2026 House Bill 582, known as the Survivor Justice Act, allows courts to consider reduced sentences for victims of domestic violence or human trafficking who committed crimes under coercion. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 29 June 2026 But its owner also used coercion and violence against Native Americans, according to John Fraser, the Capitol District superintendent for California State Parks. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026 Issa Hamade and Ahmad Harb, both 32, and Sobhi Sobh, 33, were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree kidnapping, extortion, conspiracy, battery with intent to commit mayhem, robbery or grand larceny, and coercion with force or threats, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for coercion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercion
  1. pressure
  2. constraint
  3. compulsion
  4. intimidation
  5. violence
Noun
  • These episodes have been triggered by intense heat domes — stubborn areas of high pressure that lock hot air in place — and are clearly supercharged by global warming, experts say.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
  • Even as the communist country proposes reforms, the United States continues a pressure campaign, ramping up economic sanctions and maintaining an oil embargo that has plunged much of the island into darkness.
    — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of pressure
Noun
  • Her colleague Maria Amato adds a harder constraint — the most effective leadership development happens on the job, inside the relationships management layers exist to create.
    — Cindy Rodriguez Constable, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • How supply chains are slowing defense production S&P Global Ratings found the same constraint.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 1 July 2026
Definition of constraint
Noun
  • Generalized anxiety may manifest itself in depression, compulsion or restlessness.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • These obsessions lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of compulsion
Noun
  • The 16-count indictment against Republican Liz Murrill, handed up Thursday by a New Orleans grand jury, charges Louisiana’s first female attorney general with intimidation and malfeasance.
    — Safiyah Riddle, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • The 16-count indictment handed up Thursday by a New Orleans grand jury accused Murrill, the state's first female attorney general, with intimidation and malfeasance.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
Definition of intimidation
Noun
  • Was remembers the tumult, violence and hope that came out of that era in his hometown of Detroit.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • But the comments from Raia provide the clearest public indication yet that the FBI's Joint Mission Center, established earlier this year to coordinate the bureau's response to domestic political violence, is producing tangible investigative results.
    — Asra Q. Nomani , Morgan Phillips, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of violence

Browse Nearby Words

coercing
coercion
coercions
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Cite this Entry

“Coercion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coercion. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on coercion

Nglish: Translation of coercion for Spanish Speakers

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