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Definition of "duress" []

  • Constraint by threat; coercion: confessed under duress. (noun)
  • Law Coercion illegally applied. (noun)
  • Law Forcible confinement. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "duress" in a sentence
  • "Still, making a guy beat-off under gunplay duress is fun."
  • "The need to keep cool under duress is further tested when her boss (Patricia Clarkson) hires a sous chef, Nick (Aaron Eckhart)."
  • "From what I have heard information extracted under duress is inherently suspect because people will say anything to relieve the duress – note I am not trying to define torture but only duress."