Meaning & use
duress
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Meaning
noununcountablelegal
Pressure from threats or force that makes someone do something they would not choose to do.
Grammar: Almost always in the phrase under duress; no plural or article.
Patterns
- under duress
- do something under duress
He signed the paper under duress.
The court ruled that the confession was made under duress.
She said she gave the money only under duress.
Common combinations
- under duress
- A promise made under duress is not binding.
- sign under duress
- The hostage signed the statement under duress.
- act under duress
- The driver acted under duress when he fled.
- claim duress
- The defendant claimed duress as a defense.
- confess under duress
- No one should confess under duress.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coercion
- Coercion is the act of forcing someone, while duress is the condition of being forced.
- compulsion
- Compulsion can be an inner urge, whereas duress always comes from outside.
- pressure
- Pressure is general and can be mild, while duress involves serious threats.
- intimidation
- Intimidation describes frightening someone, and is one way of causing duress.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: duress or stress? duress or dire?
duress vs stress
Stress is general mental strain, while duress is pressure through threats.
duress vs dire
Dire means terrible, and is not used for threats.
Practice
A contract signed under duress is usually considered...
Choose one answer.
Under duress means pressured by threats, so consent was not free and the contract can be challenged. The others contradict that.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “duress”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.