forcings: meaning and definitions

The capacity to do work or cause physical change; energy, strength, or active power: the force of an explosion.

Power made operative against resistance; exertion: use force in driving a nail. The use of physical power or violence to compel or restrain: a confession obtained by force.

Intellectual power or vigor, especially as conveyed in writing or speech. Moral strength. A capacity for affecting the mind or behavior; efficacy: the force of logical argumentation. One that possesses such capacity: the forces of evil.

A body of persons or other resources organized or available for a certain purpose: a large labor force. A person or group capable of influential action: a retired senator who is still a force in national politics.

Military strength. A unit of a nation's military personnel, especially one deployed into combat: Our armed forces have at last engaged the enemy.

Physics A vector quantity that tends to produce an acceleration of a body in the direction of its application. Newton's second law of motion states that a free body accelerates in the direction of the applied force and that its acceleration is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to its mass. See fundamental force.

Baseball A force play.

To compel through pressure or necessity: I forced myself to practice daily. He was forced to take a second job.

To gain by the use of force or coercion: force a confession. To move or effect against resistance or inertia: forced my foot into the shoe. To inflict or impose relentlessly: He forced his ideas upon the group.

To put undue strain on: She forced her voice despite being hoarse. To increase or accelerate (a pace, for example) to the maximum. To produce with effort and against one's will: force a laugh in spite of pain. To use (language) with obvious lack of ease and naturalness.

To move, open, or clear by force: forced our way through the crowd. To break down or open by force: force a lock.

To rape.

To induce change in (a complex system) by changing one of its parameters: greenhouse gases that force the earth's climate.

Botany To cause to grow or mature by artificially accelerating normal processes.

Baseball To put (a runner) out on a force play. To allow (a run) to be scored by walking a batter when the bases are loaded.

Games To cause an opponent to play (a particular card).

In full strength; in large numbers: Demonstrators were out in force.

In effect; operative: a rule that is no longer in force.