First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
duress
noun du·ress \du̇-ˈres also dyu̇-\
: force or threats meant to make someone do something
Full Definition of DURESS
1
: forcible restraint or restriction
2
: compulsion by threat; specifically : unlawful constraint
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Origin of DURESS
Middle English duresse, from Anglo-French duresce hardness, severity, from Latin duritia, from durus
Related to DURESS
- Synonyms
- arm-twisting, coercion, compulsion, constraint, force, pressure
Other Legal Terms
Rhymes with DURESS
abscess, access, address, aggress, assess, bench-press, caress, clothespress, coatdress, cold-press, compress, confess, cross-dress, CS, depress, de-stress, digress, distress, drill press, egress, excess, express, finesse, fluoresce, French press, full-dress, handpress, headdress, housedress, idlesse, impress, ingress, Meknes, much less, nightdress, noblesse, no less, obsess, oppress, outguess, possess, precess, prestress, princess, process, profess, progress, recess, redress, regress, re-press, repress, shirtdress, side-dress, SS, success, sundress, suppress, tendresse, top-dress, transgress, undress, unless, web press, winepress, word stress
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