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force 1 n1: a cause of motion, activity, or changeintervening force: a force that acts after another's negligent act or omission has occurred and that causes injury to another: intervening cause at causeirresistible force: an unforeseeable event esp. that prevents performance of an obligation under a contract: force majeure2: a body of persons available for a particular endthe labor force; specif: police force— usu. used with the3: violence, compulsion, or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thingconstructive force: the use of threats or intimidation for the purpose of gaining control over or preventing resistance from anotherdead·ly force: force that is intended to cause or that carries a substantial risk of causing death or serious bodily injury compare nondeadly force in this entry◇ As a general rule, deadly force may be used without incurring criminal or tort liability when one reasonably believes that one's life or safety is in danger. In some cases, a person's unreasonable belief in the need for deadly force has been used to justify reducing a charge of murder to voluntary manslaughter. Additionally, a police officer is generally justified in using deadly force to prevent the escape of a suspect who threatens the officer or who the officer has probable cause to believe has committed a violent crime.lawful force: force that is considered justified under the law and does not create criminal or tort liability compare unlawful force in this entrymod·er·ate force /'mä-də-rət-/: nondeadly force in this entrynon·dead·ly force: force that is intended to cause minor bodily injury; also: a threat (as by the brandishing of a gun) to use deadly force – called also moderate force; compare deadly force in this entryreasonable force: Lawful force that is reasonably necessary to accomplish a particular end (as preventing theft of one's property)unlawful force: force that is not justified under the law and therefore is considered a tort or crime or both compare lawful force in this entryin force: valid and operativea life insurance policy in forceforce 2 vt forced, forc·ing1 a: to compel by physical means often against resistanceforced him into the carb: to break open or throughforced the door see also forcible entry
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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I
(compulsion) noun
arbitrary power, authority, coaction, coercion, command, compulsion, constraining power, constraint, constriction, control, demand, dictation, discipline, drive, duress, enforcement, exaction, impelling, imposition, impressment, inducement, insistence, martial law, necessitation, necessitude, necessity, need, oppression, persuasion, pressure, prevailing, repression, restraint, restriction, sanction, spur of necessity, stress, strict control, subjection, subjugation, urgency, vehemence
associated concepts: ejectment by force, forced merger, forced payment, forced sale
foreign phrases:
- Vis iegibus est inimica. — Force is inimical to the laws- Quod alias bonum et justum est, si per vim vel fraudem petatur, malum et injustum efficitur. — What otherwise is good and just, becomes bad and unjust if it is sought by force and fraud- Non videtur vim facere, qui jure suo utitur et ordlnaria actione experitur. — He is not considered to use force who exercises his own right, and proceeds by ordinary action- Ejus nulla culpa est, cui parere necesse sit. — No guilt attaches to a person who is compelled to obey- Nihil consensui tarn contrarium est quam vis atque metus. — Nothing is so opposed to consent as force and fear.II (legal efficacy) noun authorized might, lawful power, lawful vigor, legal vitality, legitimate puissance, rightful strength, sanctioned effectiveness, sanctioned potency, statutory cogency, valid potentiality III (strength) noun ability, ableness, ascendancy, authoritativeness, brawn, capability, cogency, command, competence, consequence, control, domination, dominion, effectiveness, effectuality, efficacy, empowerment, enablement, endurance, energy, firmness, forcefulness, hardiness, impact, impetus, importance, influence, influentiality, intensity, manus, mastery, might, mightiness, omnipotence, physical power, potence, potency, power, powerfulness, predominance, pressure, primacy, proficiency, stamina, supremacy, sway, vigor, vigorousness, virulence, vis, vitality associated concepts: armed force, constructive force, excessive force, intervening force, physical force, superior force, threats of force, unnecessary force, unreasonable force foreign phrases:- Vim vi repellere licet, modo flat moderamine inculpatae tutelae, non ad sumendam vindictam, sed ad propulsandam injuriam. — It is lawful to repel force by force, provided it be done with the moderation of blameless defense, not for the purpose of taking revenge, but to repel injuryIV (break) verb batter, breach, crack, disjoint, fissure, inrumpere, invade, pry, rend, rive, rupture, shatter, smash, split, strain, tear asunder, wrench V (coerce) verb apply pressure, cause to yield, command, compel, constrain, control, demand, enforce, enforce obedience, enjoin, enslave, enthrall, exercise power over, exprimere, extorquere, extort, impose, insist, make obligatory, necessitate, obligate, oblige, order, overpower, overwhelm, press, push, put under obligation, require, tax, urge, use violence VI index ardor, attack, authority (power), band, bind (obligate), cast (throw), catalyst, clout, coerce, coercion, command, compel, compulsion (coercion), connotation, consequence (significance), constrain (compel), constraint (restriction), content (meaning), context, dint, dominance, draw (attraction), duress, emphasis, enforce, enforcement, entail, exact, extort, foist, hijack, impact, impetus, impose (subject), inflict, infliction, infringement, leverage, levy, main point, make, mistreat, misusage, necessitate, obtrude, oppression, overload, potential, power, press (constrain), pressure (noun), pressure (verb), prestige, puissance, purpose, repercussion, require (compel), rigor, severity, significance, signification, sinew, spirit, staff, strength, stress (accent), stress (strain), struggle, subjection, substance (essential nature), validity, value, violence, weight (importance)
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
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n.Compulsion; power exerted to make something happen.v.To make someone do something against his or her will.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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n. Power or strength.@ deadly forceForce used which is known or expected, or should be expected to cause death.@ in forceLegal validity, as with a law or regulation that is "in force."@
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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Power, violence, compulsion, or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing. Power dynamically considered, that is, in motion or in action; constraining power, compulsion; strength directed to an end. Commonly the word occurs in such connections as to show that unlawful or wrongful action is meant, e.g., forcible entry.Power statically considered, that is, at rest, or latent, but capable of being called into activity upon occasion for its exercise. Efficacy; legal validity. This is the meaning when we say that a statute or a contract is in force.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
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Power, violence, compulsion, or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing. Power dynamically considered, that is, in motion or in action; constraining power, compulsion; strength directed to an end. Commonly the word occurs in such connections as to show that unlawful or wrongful action is meant, e.g., forcible entry.Power statically considered, that is, at rest, or latent, but capable of being called into activity upon occasion for its exercise. Efficacy; legal validity. This is the meaning when we say that a statute or a contract is in force.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
