Coercion
/koʊˈɜːrʒən/
Definitions
The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
/koʊˈɜːrʒən/
The act of compelling someone to do something by force or threat.
The government used coercion to silence its critics.
💡 Simply: Imagine someone forcing you to do something you don't want to do. That's coercion – using pressure or threats to make someone obey.
👶 For kids: Making someone do something they don't want to by being mean or scary.
More Examples
He felt coercion from his boss to work overtime.
How It's Used
"The confession was obtained under coercion."
"The regime used coercion to suppress dissent."
From Latin *coerciōn-, *coerciō 'a keeping together, restraint, force', from *coercēre 'to keep together, restrain, check'.
Historically, coercion has been used to describe both physical and psychological pressure.
Memory tip
Think of 'coerce' as 'to force' – coercion is the act of forcing.