English

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /fɔː(ɹ)s/, SAMPA: /fO:(r\)s/
• (GenAm) IPA: /fɔɹs/, /foʊɹs/, SAMPA: /fOr\s/, /fOUr\s/

  Audio (US)^{help, file}

• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)s

Etymology 1

From Old French force, from Late Latin fortia, from neuter plural of Latin fortis (“‘strong’”)

Noun

force (countable and uncountable; plural forces)

1. (countable) Anything that is able to make a big change in a person or thing.

Wikipedia

1. (uncountable, physics) A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn)
2. (countable) A group that aims to attack, control, or constrain.

   police force

3. (uncountable) The ability to attack, control, or constrain.

   show of force

4. (countable) A magic trick in which the outcome is known to the magician beforehand, especially one involving the apparent free choice of a card by another person.
5. A fictional semi-sentient phenomenon that certain individuals can call upon for assistance as in in the Star Wars stories. See also Force.
   • May the force be with you.
6. (law) Legal validity.
   • The law will come into force in January.
7. (law) Either unlawful violence, as in a "forced entry", or lawful compulsion.

Derived terms

Verb

to force (third-person singular simple present forces, present participle forcing, simple past and past participle forced)

1. (transitive) To exert violence, compulsion, or constraint upon or against a person or thing.
2. (transitive) To cause to occur, overcoming inertia or resistance.
   • force a decision
3. (transitive, baseball) To create an out by touching a base in advance of a runner who has no base to return to while in possession of a ball which has already touched the ground.
   • Jones forced the runner at second by stepping on the bag.

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Derived terms

• enforce
• forceful
• forcible

See also

• Imperial unit: foot pound
• metric unit: newton
• coerce: To control by force.

Etymology 2

From Old Norse fors (“‘waterfall’”). Cognate with Swedish fors (“‘waterfall’”)

Noun

force (plural forces)

1. (countable, Northern England) A waterfall or cascade

Translations

External links

• force in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• force in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

French

Etymology

From Late Latin neuter plural fortia < adjective fortis.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɔʀs/, X-SAMPA: /fORs/

  Audio (France, Paris)^{help, file}

• Rhymes: -ɔʀs
• Homophones: forcent, forces

Noun

force f. (plural forces)

1. force.

Synonyms

• pouvoir
• puissance
• violence

Derived terms

• à force
• à la force du poignet
• coup de force
• camisole de force
• de gré ou de force
• de force
• de vive force
• en force
• forcé
• force majeure
• force vive
• forces vives
• forcément
• forcer
• tour de force

Verb

force

1. First-person singular present indicative of forcer.
2. Third-person singular present indicative of forcer.
3. First-person singular present subjunctive of forcer.
4. Third-person singular present subjunctive of forcer.
5. Second-person singular imperative of forcer.

See Also:

• Force

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