n.
Pronunciation: ' fo ̇ rs
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *fortia, from Latin fortis strong
Date: 14th century
1 a (1) : strength or energy exerted or brought to bear : cause of motion or change : active power <the force s of nature> <the motivating force in her life> (2) capitalized ― used with a number to indicate the strength of the wind according to the Beaufort scale <a Force 10 hurricane> b : moral or mental strength c : capacity to persuade or convince <the force of the argument>
2 a : military strength b (1) : a body (as of troops or ships) assigned to a military purpose (2) plural : the whole military strength (as of a nation) c : a body of persons or things available for a particular end <a labor force > <the missile force > d : an individual or group having the power of effective action <join force s to prevent violence> <a force in politics> e often capitalized : POLICE FORCE ― usually used with the
3 : violence, compulsion, or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing
4 a : an agency or influence that if applied to a free body results chiefly in an acceleration of the body and sometimes in elastic deformation and other effects b : any of the natural influences (as electromagnetism, gravity, the strong force, and the weak force) that exist especially between particles and determine the structure of the universe
5 : the quality of conveying impressions intensely in writing or speech <stated the objectives with force >
synonyms see POWER
– force · less \ -l ə s \ adjective
– in force
1 : in great numbers <picnickers were out in force >
2 : VALID , OPERATIVE <the ban remains in force >