A compulsory agency or means; a legal mandate compelling obedience.

Moral or psychological pressure or coercion; a means or instance of this. Now chiefly in phrases: see phrases 1.

figurative. A means of compulsion or constraint. Obsolete. rare.

Something that compels or tends to compel. (Cf. dissuasive, n., etc.) Obsolete. rare.

= coercive, n. Obsolete. rare.

A coercive means or measure.

As quasi-n. (nonce-use), after the analogy of motive: A means of compelling.

In extended use. slang. Something used to compel submission or compliance, esp. a gun or other weapon.

figurative (colloquial). A crushing power or force. Also attributive.