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forzar

to force

verb fohr-SAHR Less Common
Body & Health Movement

Origin: From Latin fortiare, from fortis (strong).

Also means

to break open

Usage Note

Forzar means both to compel someone (me forzaron a firmar = 'they forced me to sign') and to break something open by force (forzar una cerradura = 'to force a lock'). It is a stem-changing verb: fuerzo, fuerzas, fuerza (o→ue in stressed syllables). Forzado as an adjective means 'forced' or 'strained' (sonrisa forzada = 'forced smile').

Examples

"Tuvieron que forzar la puerta para entrar."

Natural Translation

They had to force the door to get in.

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