n. [ F. force, LL. forcia, fortia, fr. L. fortis strong. See Fort, n. ] 1. Capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect; strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigor; might; often, an unusual degree of strength or energy; especially, power to persuade, or convince, or impose obligation; pertinency; validity; special signification; as, the force of an appeal, an argument, a contract, or a term. [ 1913 Webster ]

He was, in the full force of the words, a good man. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion; as, by force of arms; to take by force. [ 1913 Webster ]

Which now they hold by force, and not by right. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Strength or power for war; hence, a body of land or naval combatants, with their appurtenances, ready for action; -- an armament; troops; warlike array; -- often in the plural; hence, a body of men prepared for action in other ways; as, the laboring force of a plantation; the armed forces. [ 1913 Webster ]

Is Lucius general of the forces? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) (a) Strength or power exercised without law, or contrary to law, upon persons or things; violence. (b) Validity; efficacy. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Physics) Any action between two bodies which changes, or tends to change, their relative condition as to rest or motion; or, more generally, which changes, or tends to change, any physical relation between them, whether mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, magnetic, or of any other kind; as, the force of gravity; cohesive force; centrifugal force. [ 1913 Webster ]

Animal force (Physiol.), muscular force or energy. --
Catabiotic force [ Gr. &unr_; down (intens.) + &unr_; life. ] (Biol.), the influence exerted by living structures on adjoining cells, by which the latter are developed in harmony with the primary structures. --
Centrifugal force,
Centripetal force,
Coercive force, etc. See under Centrifugal, Centripetal, etc. --
Composition of forces,
Correlation of forces, etc. See under Composition, Correlation, etc. --
Force and arms [ trans. of L. vi et armis ] (Law), an expression in old indictments, signifying violence. --
In force, or
Of force, of unimpaired efficacy; valid; of full virtue; not suspended or reversed. “A testament is of force after men are dead.” Heb. ix. 17. --
Metabolic force (Physiol.), the influence which causes and controls the metabolism of the body. --
No force, no matter of urgency or consequence; no account; hence, to do no force, to make no account of; not to heed. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. --
Of force, of necessity; unavoidably; imperatively. “Good reasons must, of force, give place to better.” Shak. --
Plastic force (Physiol.), the force which presumably acts in the growth and repair of the tissues. --
Vital force (Physiol.), that force or power which is inherent in organization; that form of energy which is the cause of the vital phenomena of the body, as distinguished from the physical forces generally known.

Syn. -- Strength; vigor; might; energy; stress; vehemence; violence; compulsion; coaction; constraint; coercion. -- Force, Strength. Strength looks rather to power as an inward capability or energy. Thus we speak of the strength of timber, bodily strength, mental strength, strength of emotion, etc. Force, on the other hand, looks more to the outward; as, the force of gravitation, force of circumstances, force of habit, etc. We do, indeed, speak of strength of will and force of will; but even here the former may lean toward the internal tenacity of purpose, and the latter toward the outward expression of it in action. But, though the two words do in a few cases touch thus closely on each other, there is, on the whole, a marked distinction in our use of force and strength. “Force is the name given, in mechanical science, to whatever produces, or can produce, motion.” Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy tears are of no force to mollify
This flinty man. Heywood. [ 1913 Webster ]

More huge in strength than wise in works he was. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Adam and first matron Eve
Had ended now their orisons, and found
Strength added from above, new hope to spring
Out of despair. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Obs. in all the senses. ] 1. To use violence; to make violent effort; to strive; to endeavor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Forcing with gifts to win his wanton heart. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make a difficult matter of anything; to labor; to hesitate; hence, to force of, to make much account of; to regard. [ 1913 Webster ]

Your oath once broke, you force not to forswear. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

I force not of such fooleries. Camden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To be of force, importance, or weight; to matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is not sufficient to have attained the name and dignity of a shepherd, not forcing how. Udall. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Farce to stuff. ] To stuff; to lard; to farce. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Wit larded with malice, and malice forced with wit. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Forced p. pr. & vb. n. Forcing ] [ OF. forcier, F. forcer, fr. LL. forciare, fortiare. See Force, n. ] 1. To constrain to do or to forbear, by the exertion of a power not resistible; to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means; to coerce; as, masters force slaves to labor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To compel, as by strength of evidence; as, to force conviction on the mind. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To do violence to; to overpower, or to compel by violence to one's will; especially, to ravish; to violate; to commit rape upon. [ 1913 Webster ]

To force their monarch and insult the court. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

I should have forced thee soon wish other arms. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

To force a spotless virgin's chastity. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To obtain, overcome, or win by strength; to take by violence or struggle; specifically, to capture by assault; to storm, as a fortress; as, to force the castle; to force a lock. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To impel, drive, wrest, extort, get, etc., by main strength or violence; -- with a following adverb, as along, away, from, into, through, out, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

It stuck so fast, so deeply buried lay
That scarce the victor forced the steel away. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

To force the tyrant from his seat by war. Sahk. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ethelbert ordered that none should be forced into religion. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To put in force; to cause to be executed; to make binding; to enforce. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

What can the church force more? J. Webster. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To exert to the utmost; to urge; hence, to strain; to urge to excessive, unnatural, or untimely action; to produce by unnatural effort; as, to force a conceit or metaphor; to force a laugh; to force fruits. [ 1913 Webster ]

High on a mounting wave my head I bore,
Forcing my strength, and gathering to the shore. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Whist) To compel (an adversary or partner) to trump a trick by leading a suit of which he has none. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. To provide with forces; to reënforce; to strengthen by soldiers; to man; to garrison. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. To allow the force of; to value; to care for. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

For me, I force not argument a straw. Shak.

Syn. -- To compel; constrain; oblige; necessitate; coerce; drive; press; impel. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. fors, foss, Dan. fos. ] A waterfall; a cascade. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To see the falls for force of the river Kent. T. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Done or produced with force or great labor, or by extraordinary exertion; hurried; strained; produced by unnatural effort or pressure; as, a forced style; a forced laugh. [ 1913 Webster ]

Forced draught. See under Draught. --
Forced march (Mil.), a march of one or more days made with all possible speed.

-- For"ced*ly adv. -- For"ced*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a method of lubricating internal combustion engines in which a pump forces oil into the engine bearings.
Syn. -- lubricating system, force-feed lubricating system, force feed, pressure-feed lubricating system, pressure feed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. to feed (someone) against his will, as during a hunger strike. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Full of or processing force; exerting force; mighty. -- Force"ful*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

Against the steed he threw
His forceful spear. Dryden. [1913 Webster]

n. physical energy or intensity.
Syn. -- force, strength. [ WordNet 1.5 ]