To oblige, bind, constrain; in later use, chiefly in past participle holden. Obsolete or archaic.

transitive. figurative. To incite, induce. rare.

transitive. To force, compel, oblige. with simple object.

transitive. To force, compel. Obsolete.

To constrain, force, or compel (a person to do something). Obsolete. (Hence the legal sense 7.)

transitive. To urge irresistibly, to constrain, oblige, force. a person to do a thing (the usual const.).

transitive. With bare infinitive (in some 16th- and 17th-cent. examples, and in passive, with to and infinitive). To constrain (a person, etc.) to…

To constrain by force or infliction of suffering (to do a thing, into, out of something).

transitive. To constrain or restrain (a person) by force or compulsion; spec. to compel (someone) to a particular course of action. Obsolete.

transitive. To constrain, compel, oblige, or urge (a person) to do something; to bind (a person) to an action, obligation, etc.

transitive. To compel, require, oblige, or call on (a person) to do something. Frequently in passive. Now rare.

Const. To compel or force to do anything.

= coerce, v.

To compel, constrain, oblige. Said of both persons and circumstances. Const. to with infinitive. archaic.

transitive. To force, constrain, or oblige.

To constrain by force (whether physical or moral); to compel; to overcome the resistance of. to force (one's) hand: to compel one to act prematurely…

To compel, coerce, or constrain (a person). transitive. With into, to, from, etc., or with infinitive as complement.

transitive. To impel or try to impel to action; to constrain; to force. Now rare except as merged with weaker sense ‘urge, try to persuade’ at 14b.

transitive. To compel, oblige, or force. Usually in passive. With infinitive. Now rare.

transitive. To constrain (a person) to an action or feeling. Obsolete.

transitive. To compel or force (to do something). Obsolete.

transitive. With infinitive. To constrain, compel, oblige (a person) to do something. In later use only with adverse circumstances (as poverty…

transitive. To constrain, influence; to force, compel (a person). Frequently in passive. With to or infinitive.

transitive (usually in passive). = necessitate, v.