force

force1 [ fɔrs ] noun ***

▸ 1 physical strength

▸ 2 group of police, etc.

▸ 3 influence

▸ 4 scientific effect

▸ 5 military

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) uncount physical strength or violence:

They accused the police of using excessive force during the arrest.

by force: The army took control of the region by force.

brute force (=simple physical force): You can achieve more by persuasion than by brute force.

a ) the power or energy produced by one thing hitting another:

The office building took the full force of the blast.

His body swung around with the force of the blow.

2. ) count a group of people doing military or police work:

Both countries have now withdrawn their forces from the area.

a U.N. peacekeeping force

a ) a group of people who work together for a particular purpose:

an effective sales force

b ) the force INFORMAL the police:

Bill was a senior police officer, who joined the force back in 1982.

=> TASK FORCE

3. ) uncount the influence or powerful effect that someone has:

We have convinced people by the force of our argument.

force of personality: He persuaded them to reelect him by sheer force of personality.

a ) count something or someone that has a powerful influence on what happens:

the social and political forces that shape people's lives

For years he was a dominant force in Spanish politics.

force for: The U.N. is a force for stability.

The most obvious force for change in industry is technical advance.

driving force (=the most important influence): She was certainly the driving force behind the campaign.

4. ) count SCIENCE a power that makes an object move or changes the way it moves:

the force of gravity

electromagnetic forces

a ) used with a number for describing how strong a wind is:

a force 9 gale

5. ) the Forces plural BRITISH the MILITARY of a country

by/through force of circumstances

because of the situation that you are in, which forces you to do a particular thing

a force to be reckoned with

a person, business, etc., especially an opponent, whose influence or ability deserves to be respected

the forces of darkness/evil

evil influences, for example the DEVIL

the forces of nature

powerful aspects of nature and weather, for example wind and storms

in force

1. ) if a law or rule is in force, it is being applied and people must obey it:

The ban on arms exports remains in force.

The new tax regulations come into force next week.

2. ) if people do something in force, a lot of people are involved:

Demonstrators came in force when Bush arrived in Stockholm.

join/combine forces

to start to work together in order to achieve a shared goal

through/from force of habit

without thinking, because you always do a particular thing

force

force 2 [ fɔrs ] verb transitive ***

1. ) to make someone do something that they do not want to do, for example by using or threatening to use violence: COMPEL:

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 someone into/out of something: Two men forced him into the back of the van.

force yourself to do something: Despite the pain, she forced herself to get out of bed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

4. ) to make a plant grow faster than it would normally, for example by giving it extra heat or light

force someone's hand

to make someone do something that they did not want to do or make them do something sooner than they intended to do it

force the issue

to make it necessary for someone to make a decision immediately

force the pace MAINLY BRITISH

to make events happen more quickly than they would usually

force a smile/laugh

to smile or laugh when you do not really feel like it

,force `back phrasal verb transitive

if you force back tears, you try very hard not to cry

,force `down phrasal verb transitive

1. ) to make something become lower:

Tough competition is forcing down prices.

2. ) to eat or drink something even though you do not want to:

I managed to force down a sandwich.

3. ) to force an airplane to land

`force on or `force u,pon phrasal verb transitive

force something on/upon someone to make someone accept something that they do not want:

You took over the meeting and forced your views on everyone.

,force `out of phrasal verb transitive

force something out of someone to force someone to tell you something:

He eventually forced the names out of her.

,force `through phrasal verb transitive

to do something so that a proposal is accepted or an issue is dealt with quickly:

The Senate hopes to force through legislation before its summer vacation.

,force `up phrasal verb transitive

to make something increase:

Increased demand has forced prices up.