Force vs. Strength — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 23, 2023
"Force" refers to an external push or pull on an object, while "strength" denotes the ability or capacity to withstand or exert force, often related to physical or mental power.
Difference Between Force and Strength
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Force" and "strength" are terms frequently used in various contexts, ranging from physics to personal character traits. When discussing "force", one is typically referring to an external influence, be it a push, a pull, or some kind of coercion. It's an agent that causes change or movement in a particular direction, much like the force applied to move a stationary object.
"Strength", in contrast, often embodies the innate ability or power of an entity. While force may act externally, strength is a measure of internal capability. For instance, in the realm of materials, the strength of a metal signifies how much force it can endure before deforming.
Distinguishing between "force" and "strength" can sometimes be subtle, especially when discussing intangible aspects. For example, someone might employ force in an argument by being aggressive, while another might show strength through patience and resilience. Such examples underscore that while "force" implies a direct action, "strength" highlights the inherent capability or endurance.
In the physical world, the difference is perhaps clearer. When a weightlifter lifts a heavy weight, the muscles exert force on the weight, but the amount they can lift is determined by their strength. Therefore, while the concepts of "force" and "strength" often intertwine, their essence diverges, with force being the action or influence and strength being the inherent capacity.
Comparison Chart
Definition
An external push or pull exerted on an object.
The ability or capacity to withstand or exert force.
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Nature
External.
Inherent or internal.
Context
Often associated with movement or change.
Typically linked to endurance, power, or capability.
Usage in Language
Can denote coercion or imposition.
May refer to physical, mental, or moral fortitude.
Measurement
Quantifiable in units like Newtons (in physics).
Can be quantitative (like in material strength) or qualitative (like mental strength).
Compare with Definitions
Force
A push or pull on an object.
The force of the wind knocked over the tree.
Strength
The capacity to resist or endure force or pressure.
The bridge's strength allows it to support heavy traffic.
Force
In physics, a force is any influence that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate.
Strength
Physical power and energy.
He showcased his strength by lifting heavy weights.
Force
The power or energy attributed to a physical action or movement.
The baseball was hit with incredible force.
Strength
A strong attribute or inherent asset.
Listening is one of her greatest strengths.
Force
Intensity or strength of a phenomenon, feeling, or belief.
The force of his conviction inspired others.
Strength
Concentration, potency, or intensity in a substance or quality.
The strength of the coffee was too much for me.
Force
Strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement
He was thrown backwards by the force of the explosion
Strength
The quality or state of being physically strong
Cycling can help you build up your strength
Force
Coercion or compulsion, especially with the use or threat of violence
They ruled by law and not by force
Strength
The capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure
They were taking no chances with the strength of the retaining wall
Force
Mental or moral strength or power
The force of popular opinion
Strength
The potency or degree of concentration of a drug, chemical, or drink
The solution comes in two strengths
It's double the strength of your average beer
Force
An organized body of military personnel or police
A British peacekeeping force
Strength
A good or beneficial quality or attribute of a person or thing
The strengths and weaknesses of their sales and marketing operation
His strength was his obsessive single-mindedness
Force
A waterfall.
Strength
The number of people comprising a group, typically a team or army
The peacetime strength of the army was 415,000
Force
Make a way through or into by physical strength; break open by force
The back door of the bank was forced
Strength
The state or quality of being strong; physical power or capacity
The strength needed to lift a box.
Force
Make (someone) do something against their will
The universities were forced to cut staff
She was forced into early retirement
Strength
The capacity to resist attack; impregnability
The strength of the ship's armor.
Force
The capacity to do work or cause physical change; energy, strength, or active power
The force of an explosion.
Strength
The capacity to resist strain or stress; durability
The strength of the cables.
Force
Power made operative against resistance; exertion
Use force in driving a nail.
Strength
The ability to deal with difficult situations or to maintain a moral or intellectual position
Does he have the strength to overcome such a tragedy?.
Force
The use of physical power or violence to compel or restrain
A confession obtained by force.
Strength
The number of people constituting a normal or ideal organization
The police force has been at half strength since the budget cuts.
Force
Intellectual power or vigor, especially as conveyed in writing or speech.
Strength
Capability in terms of numbers or resources
An army of fearsome strength.
Force
Moral strength.
Strength
An attribute or quality of particular worth or utility; an asset
Your easygoing nature is one of your strengths.
Force
A capacity for affecting the mind or behavior; efficacy
The force of logical argumentation.
Strength
One that is regarded as the embodiment of protective or supportive power; a support or mainstay
Her family has been her strength in difficult times.
Force
One that possesses such capacity
The forces of evil.
Strength
Degree of concentration, distillation, or saturation
What's the strength of that cleaning solution?.
Force
A body of persons or other resources organized or available for a certain purpose
A large labor force.
Strength
Operative effectiveness or potency
The strength of the drug.
Force
A person or group capable of influential action
A retired senator who is still a force in national politics.
Strength
Intensity, as of sound or light
The strength of the wind.
Force
Military strength.
Strength
Intensity of emotion or belief
The strength of feeling among the voters.
Force
A unit of a nation's military personnel, especially one deployed into combat
Our armed forces have at last engaged the enemy.
Strength
Cogency or persuasiveness
The strength of his argument.
Force
A vector quantity indicating the strength and direction of the capacity to accelerate a body. Newton's second law of motion states that a free body accelerates in the direction of the net force and that its acceleration is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to its mass.
Strength
Effective or binding force; efficacy
The strength of an argument.
Force
See fundamental force.
Strength
Firmness of or a continuous rising tendency in prices, as of a currency or market.
Force
(Baseball) A force play.
Strength
(Games) Power derived from the value of playing cards held.
Force
To compel through pressure or necessity
I forced myself to practice daily. He was forced to take a second job.
Strength
The quality or degree of being strong.
It requires great strength to lift heavy objects.
Force
To gain by the use of force or coercion
Force a confession.
Strength
The intensity of a force or power; potency.
He had the strength of ten men.
Force
To move or effect against resistance or inertia
Forced my foot into the shoe.
Strength
The strongest part of something; that on which confidence or reliance is based.
Force
To inflict or impose relentlessly
He forced his ideas upon the group.
Strength
A positive attribute.
We all have our own strengths and weaknesses.
Force
To put undue strain on
She forced her voice despite being hoarse.
Strength
(obsolete) An armed force, a body of troops.
Force
To increase or accelerate (a pace, for example) to the maximum.
Strength
(obsolete) A strong place; a stronghold.
Force
To produce with effort and against one's will
Force a laugh in spite of pain.
Strength
(obsolete) To strengthen all senses.
Force
To use (language) with obvious lack of ease and naturalness.
Strength
The quality or state of being strong; ability to do or to bear; capacity for exertion or endurance, whether physical, intellectual, or moral; force; vigor; power; as, strength of body or of the arm; strength of mind, of memory, or of judgment.
All his [Samson's] strength in his hairs were.
Thou must outliveThy youth, thy strength, thy beauty.
Force
To move, open, or clear by force
Forced our way through the crowd.
Strength
Power to resist force; solidity or toughness; the quality of bodies by which they endure the application of force without breaking or yielding; - in this sense opposed to frangibility; as, the strength of a bone, of a beam, of a wall, a rope, and the like.
Force
To break down or open by force
Force a lock.
Strength
Power of resisting attacks; impregnability.
Force
To rape.
Strength
That quality which tends to secure results; effective power in an institution or enactment; security; validity; legal or moral force; logical conclusiveness; as, the strength of social or legal obligations; the strength of law; the strength of public opinion; strength of evidence; strength of argument.
Force
To induce change in (a complex system) by changing one of its parameters
Greenhouse gases that force the earth's climate.
Strength
One who, or that which, is regarded as embodying or affording force, strength, or firmness; that on which confidence or reliance is based; support; security.
God is our refuge and strength.
What they boded would be a mischief to us, you are providing shall be one of our principal strengths.
Certainly there is not a greater strength against temptation.
Force
(Botany) To cause to grow or mature by artificially accelerating normal processes.
Strength
Force as measured; amount, numbers, or power of any body, as of an army, a navy, and the like; as, what is the strength of the enemy by land, or by sea?
Force
To put (a runner) out on a force play.
Strength
Vigor or style; force of expression; nervous diction; - said of literary work.
And praise the easy vigor of a lifeWhere Denham's strength and Waller's sweetness join.
Force
To allow (a run) to be scored by walking a batter when the bases are loaded.
Strength
Intensity; - said of light or color.
Bright Phœbus in his strength.
Force
(Games) To cause an opponent to play (a particular card).
Strength
Intensity or degree of the distinguishing and essential element; spirit; virtue; excellence; - said of liquors, solutions, etc.; as, the strength of wine or of acids.
Force
Strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigour; might; capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect.
The force of an appeal, an argument, or a contract
Strength
A strong place; a stronghold.
Force
Power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion.
Strength
To strengthen.
Force
(countable) Anything that is able to make a substantial change in a person or thing.
Strength
The property of being physically or mentally strong;
Fatigue sapped his strength
Force
A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and which has a direction and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn)
Strength
Capability in terms of personnel and materiel that affect the capacity to fight a war;
We faced an army of great strength
Politicians have neglected our military posture
Force
Something or anything that has the power to produce a physical effect upon something else, such as causing it to move or change shape.
Strength
Physical energy or intensity;
He hit with all the force he could muster
It was destroyed by the strength of the gale
A government has not the vitality and forcefulness of a living man
Force
(countable) A group that aims to attack, control, or constrain.
Reinforcemented increased the American force in the area to 9,000
Police force
Strength
An asset of special worth or utility;
Cooking is his forte
Force
(uncountable) The ability to attack, control, or constrain.
Show of force
Strength
The power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty;
The strength of his argument settled the matter
Force
(countable) A magic trick in which the outcome is known to the magician beforehand, especially one involving the apparent free choice of a card by another person.
Strength
The amount of energy transmitted (as by acoustic or electromagnetic radiation);
He adjusted the intensity of the sound
They measured the station's signal strength
Force
(legal) Legal validity.
The law will come into force in January.
Strength
Capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects;
The toxin's potency
The strength of the drinks
Force
(legal) Either unlawful violence, as in a "forced entry", or lawful compulsion.
Strength
The condition of financial success;
The strength of the company's stock in recent weeks
Force
Ability of an utterance or its element (word, form, prosody, ...) to effect a given meaning.
Strength
Permanence by virtue of the power to resist stress or force;
They advertised the durability of their products
Force
|often|capitalized}}Star Wars A metaphysical and ubiquitous power from the fictional Star Wars universe created by George Lucas. See usage note.
Strength
The quality of being mentally or morally strong.
Her emotional strength helped her navigate challenges.
Force
Synonym of police force
Force
A waterfall or cascade.
Force
(transitive) To violate (a woman); to rape.
Force
To exert oneself, to do one's utmost.
Force
(transitive) To compel (someone or something) to do something.
Force
(transitive) To constrain by force; to overcome the limitations or resistance of.
Force
(transitive) To drive (something) by force, to propel (generally + prepositional phrase or adverb).
Force
(transitive) To cause to occur (despite inertia, resistance etc.); to produce through force.
The comedian's jokes weren't funny, but I forced a laugh now and then.
Force
(transitive) To forcibly open (a door, lock etc.).
To force a lock.
Force
To obtain or win by strength; to take by violence or struggle; specifically, to capture by assault; to storm, as a fortress.
Force
To create an out by touching a base in advance of a runner who has no base to return to while in possession of a ball which has already touched the ground.
Jones forced the runner at second by stepping on the bag.
Force
(whist) To compel (an adversary or partner) to trump a trick by leading a suit that he/she does not hold.
Force
(archaic) To put in force; to cause to be executed; to make binding; to enforce.
Force
(archaic) To provide with forces; to reinforce; to strengthen by soldiers; to man; to garrison.
Force
(obsolete) To allow the force of; to value; to care for.
Force
To stuff; to lard; to farce.
Force
To stuff; to lard; to farce.
Wit larded with malice, and malice forced with wit.
Force
To constrain to do or to forbear, by the exertion of a power not resistible; to compel by physical, moral, or intellectual means; to coerce; as, masters force slaves to labor.
Force
To compel, as by strength of evidence; as, to force conviction on the mind.
Force
To do violence to; to overpower, or to compel by violence to one's will; especially, to ravish; to violate; to commit rape upon.
To force their monarch and insult the court.
I should have forced thee soon wish other arms.
To force a spotless virgin's chastity.
Force
To obtain, overcome, or win by strength; to take by violence or struggle; specifically, to capture by assault; to storm, as a fortress; as, to force the castle; to force a lock.
Force
To impel, drive, wrest, extort, get, etc., by main strength or violence; - with a following adverb, as along, away, from, into, through, out, etc.
It stuck so fast, so deeply buried layThat scarce the victor forced the steel away.
To force the tyrant from his seat by war.
Ethelbert ordered that none should be forced into religion.
Force
To put in force; to cause to be executed; to make binding; to enforce.
What can the church force more?
Force
To exert to the utmost; to urge; hence, to strain; to urge to excessive, unnatural, or untimely action; to produce by unnatural effort; as, to force a conceit or metaphor; to force a laugh; to force fruits.
High on a mounting wave my head I bore,Forcing my strength, and gathering to the shore.
Force
To compel (an adversary or partner) to trump a trick by leading a suit of which he has none.
Force
To provide with forces; to reënforce; to strengthen by soldiers; to man; to garrison.
Force
To allow the force of; to value; to care for.
For me, I force not argument a straw.
Force
To use violence; to make violent effort; to strive; to endeavor.
Forcing with gifts to win his wanton heart.
Force
To make a difficult matter of anything; to labor; to hesitate; hence, to force of, to make much account of; to regard.
Your oath once broke, you force not to forswear.
I force not of such fooleries.
Force
To be of force, importance, or weight; to matter.
It is not sufficient to have attained the name and dignity of a shepherd, not forcing how.
Force
A waterfall; a cascade.
To see the falls for force of the river Kent.
Force
Capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect; strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigor; might; often, an unusual degree of strength or energy; especially, power to persuade, or convince, or impose obligation; pertinency; validity; special signification; as, the force of an appeal, an argument, a contract, or a term.
He was, in the full force of the words, a good man.
Force
Power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion; as, by force of arms; to take by force.
Which now they hold by force, and not by right.
Force
Strength or power for war; hence, a body of land or naval combatants, with their appurtenances, ready for action; - an armament; troops; warlike array; - often in the plural; hence, a body of men prepared for action in other ways; as, the laboring force of a plantation; the armed forces.
Is Lucius general of the forces?
Force
Strength or power exercised without law, or contrary to law, upon persons or things; violence.
Force
Any action between two bodies which changes, or tends to change, their relative condition as to rest or motion; or, more generally, which changes, or tends to change, any physical relation between them, whether mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, magnetic, or of any other kind; as, the force of gravity; cohesive force; centrifugal force.
Thy tears are of no force to mollifyThis flinty man.
More huge in strength than wise in works he was.
Adam and first matron EveHad ended now their orisons, and foundStrength added from above, new hope to springOut of despair.
Force
A unit that is part of some military service;
He sent Caesar a force of six thousand men
Force
One possessing or exercising power or influence or authority;
The mysterious presence of an evil power
May the force be with you
The forces of evil
Force
(physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity;
Force equals mass times acceleration
Force
Group of people willing to obey orders;
A public force is necessary to give security to the rights of citizens
Force
A powerful effect or influence;
The force of his eloquence easily persuaded them
Force
An act of aggression (as one against a person who resists);
He may accomplish by craft in the long run what he cannot do by force and violence in the short one
Force
Physical energy or intensity;
He hit with all the force he could muster
It was destroyed by the strength of the gale
A government has not the vitality and forcefulness of a living man
Force
A group of people having the power of effective action;
He joined forces with a band of adventurers
Force
(of a law) having legal validity;
The law is still in effect
Force
To cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means :
She forced him to take a job in the city
He squeezed her for information
Force
Urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate
Force
Move with force,
He pushed the table into a corner
Force
Impose or thrust urgently, importunately, or inexorably;
She forced her diet fads on him
Force
Squeeze like a wedge into a tight space;
I squeezed myself into the corner
Force
Force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically;
She rammed her mind into focus
He drives me mad
Force
Do forcibly; exert force;
Don't force it!
Force
Cause to move along the ground by pulling;
Draw a wagon
Pull a sled
Force
Take by force;
Storm the fort
Force
Coercion or compulsion, especially with the use or threat of violence.
They entered the building by force.
Force
A group organized for a specific purpose, like military personnel.
The police force arrived at the scene.
Common Curiosities
Are force and strength synonyms?
While related, they are not exact synonyms. Force refers to an external push or pull, while strength denotes the capacity to resist or exert force.
Is strength always physical?
No, strength can also refer to mental or moral fortitude.
Can strength be negative?
In general language, strength is viewed positively, but contextually, an attribute might be a "strength" to one and not to another.
Is every force in physics related to movement?
Not necessarily. Forces can also be static, like the force of friction preventing movement.
How is strength measured in materials?
It can be measured in terms like tensile strength, compressive strength, etc., depending on the force applied.
Can force be a measure of strength?
Not directly. Force is the exerted action, while strength is the capacity to exert or withstand that action.
Can an argument be both forceful and strong?
Yes. An argument can be forceful in its delivery and strong in its content or reasoning.
Can force exist without motion?
Yes. Objects can experience force without any observable motion, like a book resting on a table experiencing gravitational force.
Can strength be developed?
Yes, both physical and mental strength can be developed and improved over time.
How do muscles show both force and strength?
Muscles exert force to move objects, and the amount they can move or resist moving reflects their strength.
Can strength be temporary?
Yes, strength can fluctuate based on factors like health, mental state, or external conditions.
Can something be strong without being hard?
Yes. For instance, a material can have tensile strength (resist pulling forces) without being hard.
Is force always visible?
No. Forces like gravity or magnetic forces aren't visible but can be observed through their effects.
Is force always physical?
While often physical, force can also refer to abstract concepts like force of will or forceful arguments.
What's a common unit of force in physics?
The Newton (N) is a common unit used to measure force.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
