Force

How to spell force

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce force

What does force mean?

1. nounPhysical strength, power, or energy exerted on something.
2. verbTo compel someone to do something, or to push something open by effort.
3. nounAn influence that changes the motion or shape of an object, measured in newtons.
4. nounAn organised body of people, especially military or police.

Force in a sentence

• noun

  The storm hit the coast with tremendous force.

• verb

  The new rules force every supplier to disclose their prices.

• noun

  Gravity is the force that pulls a dropped pen to the floor.

• noun

  The air force deployed three squadrons overnight.

• noun

  She pushed the heavy door open with all her force.

• verb

  The firefighters had to force the locked door.

Where does force come from?

Language of origin: French

Force entered English in the early 1300s from Old French force, which itself grew out of the Late Latin word fortia, meaning 'strength' or 'might'. That noun was formed from the classical Latin adjective fortis, literally 'strong' or 'brave', the same root that gives us 'fort', 'fortify' and 'effort'. The original idea was straightforwardly physical, the power or vigour of a person or thing, but the meaning soon branched out to cover compulsion (forcing someone to act) and organised bodies of armed people (a military force). In modern physics it took on the precise technical sense of an influence that changes a body's motion. The spelling has stayed close to its French source, with the soft 'ce' ending reflecting the same path that 'source' and 'sauce' took into English.

How the word is built

• forc- (from Latin fortis: strong)
• -e