Word of the Day:

June 29, 2022

duress

noun dur-RESS

What it Means

Duress, which is typically used with under, refers to force or threats meant to make someone do something. It is used especially of unlawful constraint.

// The defense asserts that the defendant's confession was made under duress.

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Duress in Context

"The ordinance ... was passed under duress by council members who believed that it would never be implemented." — Gilbert Garcia, The San Antonio (Texas) Express-News Online, 20 May 2022

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Did You Know?

Duress is most often paired with the word under to refer to force or threats meant to make someone do something. For example, someone forced to sign a document signs it “under duress,” and a person held “under duress” is not free to leave but is being constrained, usually unlawfully. (Do not confuse being “under duress” with being “under stress,” which is a much more common occurrence.) Duress is ultimately from Latin durus, meaning "hard," source too of durable and endure.