| Main Entry: | authority |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | power, control |
Synonyms: |
ascendancy, authorization, beef, charge, clout*, command, credit, domination, dominion, edge, esteem, force, goods*, government, guts*, influence, juice*, jump, jurisdiction, leg up, license, mastery, might, might and main, permission, permit, pizzazz*, pow, powerhouse, prerogative, prestige, punch, right, ropes, rule, say, say-so, steam, strength, strong arm, stuff*, supremacy, sway, upper hand, warrant, weight, what it takes, whip hand, word, zap |
| Main Entry: | bleed |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | extort |
Synonyms: |
blackmail, confiscate, deplete, drain, exhaust, extract, fleece, impoverish, leech, milk, mulct, overcharge, pauperize, put the screws to, rook, sap*, skin*, squeeze*, steal, stick*, strong-arm |
| Main Entry: | coerce |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | compel, press |
Synonyms: |
beset, browbeat, bulldoze, bully, concuss, constrain, cow, dragoon, drive, force, high pressure, hinder, impel, intimidate, lean on, make, make an offer they can't refuse, menace, oblige, pressurize, push, put the squeeze on, repress, restrict, shotgun, strong-arm, suppress, terrorize, threaten, twist one's arm, urge |
Antonyms: |
leave alone |
| Main Entry: | cow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | browbeat, intimidate |
Synonyms: |
abash, appall, awe, bludgeon, bluster, buffalo, bulldoze, bully, daunt, discomfit, disconcert, dishearten, dismay, dragoon, embarrass, enforce, faze, frighten, hector, lean on, overawe, push around, rattle, scare, showboat, strong-arm, subdue, terrorize, turn on the heat, unnerve, walk heavy |
Antonyms: |
encourage, hearten, inspirit |
| Main Entry: | enforce |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | put a rule, plan in force |
Synonyms: |
accomplish, administer, administrate, apply, carry out, coerce, commandeer, compel, constrain, crack down, demand, dictate, discharge, dragoon, drive, effect, egg on, emphasize, exact, execute, exert, expect, extort, force upon, fortify, fulfill, goad, hound, impel, implement, impose, incite, insist on, invoke, lash, lean on, make, necessitate, oblige, perform, press, prosecute, put into effect, put screws to, reinforce, require, sanction, spur, strain, stress, strong-arm, support, urge, whip, wrest |
Antonyms: |
abandon, disregard, drop, forego, forget, give up, neglect, overlook |
| Main Entry: | force |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | physical energy, power |
Synonyms: |
arm, brunt, clout, coercion, compulsion, conscription, constrait, draft, duress, dynamism, effort, enforcement, exaction, extortion, full head of steam, fury, horsepower, impact, impetus, impulse, might, momentum, muscle, pains, potency, potential, pow, pressure, punch, push, sinew, sock, speed, steam, stimulus, strain, strength, stress, strong arm, stuff*, subjection, tension, trouble, velocity, vigor, violence, what it takes |
Antonyms: |
powerlessness, weakness |
| Main Entry: | force |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | obligate to do something |
Synonyms: |
apply, bear down, bear hard on, bind, blackmail, bring pressure to bear upon, burden, cause, charge, choke, coerce, command, compel, concuss, conscript, constrain, contract, demand, draft, drag, dragoon, drive, enforce, enjoin, exact, extort, fix, impel, impose, impress, inflict, insist, limit, make, move, necessitate, oblige, obtrude, occasion, order, overcome, pin down, press, pressure, pressurize, put screws to, put squeeze on, require, restrict, sandbag, shotgun, strong-arm, urge, wrest, wring |
Antonyms: |
let go |
| Main Entry: | goon |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | ruffian |
Synonyms: |
bozo, bruiser, dope, gorilla, hood, hooligan*, jerk, lummox, moron, nincompoop, ninny, sap, strong-arm, thug, tough guy |
| Main Entry: | intimidate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | frighten, threaten |
Synonyms: |
alarm, appall, awe, badger, bait, bludgeon, bluster, bowl over, browbeat, buffalo, bulldoze, bully, chill, coerce, compel, constrain, cow*, daunt, dishearten, dismay, dispirit, disquiet, dragoon, enforce, force, hound, lean on, oblige, overawe, push around, ride*, ruffle, scare, showboat, spook, strong-arm, subdue, terrify, terrorize, twist someone's arm |
Antonyms: |
assist, encourage, help |
| Main Entry: | might |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | ability, power |
Synonyms: |
adequacy, arm, authority, capability, capacity, clout, command, competence, control, domination, efficacy, efficiency, energy, force, forcefulness, forcibleness, get-up-and-go, jurisdiction, lustiness, mastery, moxie*, muscle*, peppiness, potency, powerfulness, prowess, puissance, punch, qualification, qualifiedness, sinew, steam, strength, strenuousness, strong arm, sway, valor, vigor, vigorousness |
| Notes: | may is more optimistic than might; may carries the idea of permission while might suggests likelihood |
Antonyms: |
inability, powerlessness, weakness |