Betekenis van force In het Nederlands

• 0 physical, especially violent, strength, or power:

  • The force of the wind had brought down a great many trees in the area.

  • She slapped his face with unexpected force.

  • Teachers aren't allowed to use force in the classroom.

  • The police were able to control the crowd by sheer force of numbers (= because there were more police than there were people in the crowd).

  • Photographers were out in force at the White House today.

  • the force of gravity

• 1 (a person or thing with a lot of) influence and energy:

  • He was a powerful force in politics.

  • Fishermen are always at the mercy of the forces of nature (= bad weather conditions).

  • The United Nations is now a force to be reckoned with.

• 2 a group of people organized and trained, especially for a particular purpose:

  • the security forces

  • the work force

  • He joined the police force right after graduating.

• 3 (of laws, rules, or systems) existing and being used:

  • New driving regulations are going to come into force this year.

• 4 to make something happen or make someone do something difficult, unpleasant, or unusual, especially by threatening or not offering the possibility of choice:

  • [ + to infinitive ] I really have to force myself to be nice to him.

  • [ + to infinitive ] You can't force her to make a decision.

  • Hospitals are being forced to close departments because of lack of money.

  • You could tell he was having to force back the tears (= stop himself from crying).

  • I didn't actually want any more dessert, but Julia forced it on me (= made me accept it).

  • I couldn't stay at their flat - I'd feel as if I was forcing myself on them (= making them allow me to stay).

  • You never tell me how you're feeling - I have to force it out of you (= make you tell me)!

  • forced strawberries

  • I managed to force a smile as they were leaving.

  • If the management wouldn't listen to their demands, they would have to force the issue by striking.

• 5 to use physical strength or effort to make something move or open:

  • Move your leg up gently when you're doing this exercise, but don't force it.

  • If you force the zip, it'll break.

  • She forced her way through the crowd.

  • I forgot my key, so I had to force a window.

  • [ + adj ] The police had forced open the door because nobody had answered.

  • The burglar forced an entry (= broke a window, door, etc. to get into the house).

• 6 physical, often violent, strength or power:

  • [ U ] The force of the wind knocked down many trees during the hurricane.

  • [ U ] She had to use force to get the old window open.

• 7 strong influence and energy, or a person with strong influence and energy:

  • [ U ] The sheer force of her words kept the audience glued to their seats.

  • [ C ] He was a powerful force in national politics for 30 years.

• 8 power to make someone do something, or to make something happen, esp. without offering the possibility of choice:

  • social forces at school

• 9 an organized and trained military group:

  • the armed forces

  • the Air Force

  • UN forces continue to provide relief in the war-torn region.

• 10 a group of people who do the same job:

  • a sales force

  • the police force

• 11 to use physical strength or effort to make something move or open:

  • If the piece won’t fit in the hole, don’t force it.

  • He forced his way through the crowd to reach the exit.

  • I forgot my house key, so I had to force a window.

• 12 to make someone do something, or make something happen, esp. by threatening or not offering the possibility of choice:

  • I hate string beans, so I had to force myself to eat them.

  • [ + to infinitive ] Anderson was forced to leave the game with a bruised knee.

  • I didn’t actually want any more dessert, but Julia forced it on me.

  • If callers have information about the crime and would like to give their names that is fine, but we’re not going to force the issue (= make them give their names).

• 13 a person or thing with a lot of influence, power, or energy:

  • a dominant/major/powerful force The takeover will create a powerful new force in Britain's food retail industry.

  • commercial/competitive/economic forces Potent commercial forces are bringing the hydrogen economy along faster than anyone thought possible.

  • a force for change/good The movement of work to developing economies must be a force for good.

• 14 a group of people organized and trained for a particular purpose:

  • The company soon had a sales force distributed across Europe.

• 15 the influence or authority of something:

  • They made sure the minister felt the full force of business resentment at the government's new workplace laws.

  • It was not until the summer that the advertising campaign gained force.

  • These building codes do not have the force of law.

• 16 if laws, rules, or systems are in force, they are being used:

  • The notice lists the import duties and taxes currently in force.

• 17 a powerful person or organization with a lot of influence:

  • The company is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with on the global telecom scene.

• 18 to work with someone in order to achieve something you both want:

  • The two companies, one Dutch the other French, have just joined forces to exploit the European market for petfood.

• 19 when laws, rules, or systems come into force, they start being used:

  • The final stage of measures to improve access to work for disabled employees comes into force tomorrow.

• 20 to make a person or an organization do something that they do not want to do:

  • force sb/sth to do sth The arrival of the new supermarket has forced local businesses to raise their wages to compete.

  • force sb/sth into sth Heavy law school debt frequently forces graduates into high-paying jobs at private firms, where intense deadlines and grinding hours are routine.

  • force sb/sth into doing sth Customers are being forced into banking by phone or over the internet.

• 21 to make something happen, especially something that people do not want to happen:

  • The economic slowdown has forced a second week of temporary closure.

  • The government threatened to force an agreement between banks and retailers for a new system.

• 22 to make someone do something they do not want to do or do something sooner than they had intended:

  • The changing dynamics of the diamond business are beginning to force the company's hand.