de·force (dē-fôrs′) tr.v. de·forced ,
de·forc·ing ,
de·forc·es Law 1. To withhold (property, for example) from the rightful owner.
2. To deprive (a rightful owner) of something, especially property.
[Middle English
deforcen , from Anglo-Norman
deforcer , from Old French
desforcier :
des- ,
de- +
forcier ,
to force (from Vulgar Latin
*fortiāre , from Latin
fortis ,
strong ; see
bhergh- in
Indo-European roots ).]
de·force′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
deforce (dɪˈfɔːs ) vb (
tr )
1. (Law) to withhold (property, esp land) wrongfully or by force from the rightful owner
2. (Law) to eject or keep forcibly from possession of property
[C13: from Anglo-French, from deforcer ]
deˈforcement n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
de•force (dɪˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs) v.t. -forced, -forc•ing. 1. to withhold (land or other property) by force, as from the rightful owner.
2. to evict by force.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French
deforcer, Old French
de(s) forcier =
de(s) -
de - +
forc(i) er to
force ]
de•force′ment, n.
de•forc′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
deforce Past participle: deforcedGerund: deforcingImperative Present Preterite Present Continuous Present Perfect Past Continuous Past Perfect Future Future Perfect Future Continuous Present Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Conditional Past Conditional Present I deforce you deforce he/she/it deforces we deforce you deforce they deforce
Preterite I deforced you deforced he/she/it deforced we deforced you deforced they deforced
Present Continuous I am deforcing you are deforcing he/she/it is deforcing we are deforcing you are deforcing they are deforcing
Present Perfect I have deforced you have deforced he/she/it has deforced we have deforced you have deforced they have deforced
Past Continuous I was deforcing you were deforcing he/she/it was deforcing we were deforcing you were deforcing they were deforcing
Past Perfect I had deforced you had deforced he/she/it had deforced we had deforced you had deforced they had deforced
Future I will deforce you will deforce he/she/it will deforce we will deforce you will deforce they will deforce
Future Perfect I will have deforced you will have deforced he/she/it will have deforced we will have deforced you will have deforced they will have deforced
Future Continuous I will be deforcing you will be deforcing he/she/it will be deforcing we will be deforcing you will be deforcing they will be deforcing
Present Perfect Continuous I have been deforcing you have been deforcing he/she/it has been deforcing we have been deforcing you have been deforcing they have been deforcing
Future Perfect Continuous I will have been deforcing you will have been deforcing he/she/it will have been deforcing we will have been deforcing you will have been deforcing they will have been deforcing
Past Perfect Continuous I had been deforcing you had been deforcing he/she/it had been deforcing we had been deforcing you had been deforcing they had been deforcing
Conditional I would deforce you would deforce he/she/it would deforce we would deforce you would deforce they would deforce
Past Conditional I would have deforced you would have deforced he/she/it would have deforced we would have deforced you would have deforced they would have deforced
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011