Meaning & use
duresses
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“duresses” is a form of “duress”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveformallegalrare
Forces someone to do something by using threats, pressure, or unlawful influence.
Grammar: Takes an object: duresses a witness. It is rare, and the noun duress is much more common.
Patterns
- duress someone into something
- duress someone into doing something
- be duressed into doing something
The report claims the company duresses employees into signing unfair contracts.
No one should be duressed into giving evidence against a family member.
nounpluralformallegalrare
The plural of duress: unlawful pressure or threats that force a person to act against their will.
Grammar: The plural duresses is very rare; the uncountable noun duress is the usual form.
Patterns
- under duress
- the duresses of something
The lawyer listed the duresses that the workers had suffered.
Historians study the duresses placed on ordinary people during wartime.
Word forms
| third person singular | duresses |
|---|---|
| past tense | duressed |
| past participle | duressed |
| -ing form | duressing |
Common combinations
- under duress
- The statement was made under duress and was later withdrawn.
- duress someone into something
- They tried to duress him into a false confession.
- economic duress
- The court found that economic duress had forced the small firm to sell.
- sign under duress
- She signed the agreement under duress.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coerce
- Coerce is the everyday verb for forcing someone by threats, while duress as a verb is far rarer and mostly legal.
- pressure
- Pressure is milder and can be used in ordinary situations; duress suggests unlawful or serious threats.
- compel
- Compel often refers to strong circumstances as much as to people, and it is more common than the verb duress.
Word family
- duress noun
- unlawful pressure or threats that make someone act unwillingly
- duressed adjective
- rare: forced or affected by duress
Commonly confused: duresses or stress? duresses or dresses?
duresses vs stress
Stress means worry or pressure in general, while duress is a legal term for threats that take away someone's free choice.
duresses vs dresses
Dresses sounds similar but means clothing or the verb 'puts on clothes'; duresses is about forcing someone.
Practice
Which sentence uses the word correctly?
Choose one answer.
Duress is normally an uncountable noun, so 'under duress' is the standard phrase. 'Under duresses' wrongly treats it as countable, and 'a duress' does the same.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “duresses”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.