1
: compelled by force or necessity : involuntary
a forced landing
2
: done or produced with effort, exertion, or pressure
a forced laugh
forcedly adverb

Examples of forced in a Sentence

forced payment of membership dues wasn't thrilled with the suggestion and so responded with a forced smile
Recent Examples on the Web As Treasury chief, Mnuchin urged former president Donald Trump in 2020 to push for a forced sale of TikTok. Eva Dou, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024 Years later, in March 2023, a Commerce Ministry spokeswoman said in the government’s first direct response to the matter that China would oppose any forced sale of TikTok, because a sale or divestiture of the app would involve exporting technology and had to be approved by the Chinese government. Laura He, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 All-around achiever Last year, Bain played in all 13 games, amassing 44 tackles, 12 1/2 tackles for loss, a team-leading 7 1/2 sacks, one pass breakup, four quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 His firm was in a forced bankruptcy; there was no way any widows and orphans had just received millions owed to them. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024 McGregor recorded 26 tackles, nine of which went for loss to go with 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 14 Jan. 2024 But the discussions look like the start of consolidation discussions for the media industry during a tumultuous time of forced evolution. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 21 Dec. 2023 Tied for third in the league in forced fumbles, recording five on the season. Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 9 Feb. 2024 But for many of the more than 1.6 million people who, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, says have already been displaced in Gaza since the conflict began, the route feels like a forced exodus. NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forced.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of forced was circa 1537

Dictionary Entries Near forced

Cite this Entry

“Forced.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forced. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

forced

adjective
ˈfō(ə)rst How to pronounce forced (audio)
ˈfȯ(ə)rst
1
: caused or brought about by force or necessity : involuntary
made a forced landing
2
: done or produced with effort
a forced laugh

More from Merriam-Webster on forced

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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