as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
a promise obtained by coercion is never binding
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Recent Examples of coercion
The call came as Trump has declared a trade war on Canada and has threatened to use economic coercion to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, a position that has infuriated Canadians.
—
Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Moscow stepped up its economic coercion, political meddling, and military aggression to stymie its neighbors’ progress toward democracy and European integration.
—Alexander Vindman, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2025
Myrie, a lawyer, said that Trump’s threats of withholding federal funds as punishment for the city bucking certain directives amounts to coercion under the 10th Amendment, which emphasizes that the federal government has only the powers explicitly granted to it by the Constitution.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
Trump has unnerved Greenland's leaders by offering to purchase it from Denmark − without ruling out military action or economic coercion.
—Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coercion
Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025
Moscow stepped up its economic coercion, political meddling, and military aggression to stymie its neighbors’ progress toward democracy and European integration.
—Alexander Vindman, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2025
Myrie, a lawyer, said that Trump’s threats of withholding federal funds as punishment for the city bucking certain directives amounts to coercion under the 10th Amendment, which emphasizes that the federal government has only the powers explicitly granted to it by the Constitution.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
Trump has unnerved Greenland's leaders by offering to purchase it from Denmark − without ruling out military action or economic coercion.
—Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coercion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercion
Noun
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As privacy changes reshape digital advertising and economic pressures demand greater efficiency, the cost of fragmented analysis is becoming impossible to ignore.—
Cody Greco,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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But there must have been a pressure, or at least the possibility, of staying on tour for a whole ‘nother year, if not longer, knowing the demand for it was there and then some.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Lynch’s installment, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood, is executive produced by Angela Bassett and Academy Award winner Halle Berry, and highlights Black women who have led films while navigating a different set of expectations, constraints, and pressures.—
Essence,
Essence,
9 Apr. 2025
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For conservatives who genuinely care about limiting executive power and enforcing constitutional constraints, these tariffs present a moment of truth.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Every Wednesday, women in Iran would film videos of themselves walking unveiled, a peaceful protest against compulsion.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2025
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Creating collages is almost a compulsion, a way for Jarmusch to escape from the world and nestle into self-reflection.—
Renée Reizman,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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One where the memories are as much of romance as violence, as based around out-of-pocket jokes as tears.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
28 Mar. 2025
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That the specific task at hand in Warfare is so vague is a good reminder that though this happened 20 years ago, there are people right now who have been ordered to enforce political will with violence, and this savagery will likely repeat for all time.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coercion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coercion. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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