# forcing

Pronunciation: US say "FOR-sing" /ˈfɔɹ.sɪŋ/; UK say "FAW-sing" /ˈfɔː(ɹ).sɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of force. — present participle and gerund of force
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of force. Use this -ing form when the action is ongoing or named as a thing.
   - _The drought is forcing farmers to abandon their fields._
   - _Forcing a confession rarely yields the truth._

## Noun

2. The practice of raising plants to maturity earlier than the normal season, especially by using a hotbed.
   - Simple: The skill of growing plants earlier than usual, often with added heat.
   - _Commercial growers rely on forcing to bring rhubarb to market in late winter._
   - _The nursery's reputation rested on forcing, with fresh blooms ready long before spring._
3. The net flow of energy into or out of a system, measured as the change in its energy balance.
   - Simple: The change in how much energy enters or leaves a system.
   - _Volcanic eruptions produce a temporary forcing that cools the surface for a few years._
   - _Climate models add up the different forcings to predict future warming._
4. The practice of extending the development time of an underexposed negative to bring out detail that would otherwise be lost.
   - Simple: Developing a too-dark film negative for longer to bring out hidden detail.
   - _The lab recommended forcing to rescue detail from the underexposed roll._
   - _Through careful forcing, the photographer recovered shadows that had seemed lost._
5. A method in set theory used to prove that certain axioms are consistent with one another.
   - Simple: A math method used to show that certain rules in set theory do not clash.
   - _Cohen used forcing to prove the independence of the continuum hypothesis._
   - _Modern set theory relies heavily on forcing to compare different models._

## Adjective

6. Describing a bid that requires one's partner to keep bidding rather than pass.
   - Simple: Describing a bid in bridge that makes your partner keep bidding instead of passing.
   - _The jump shift is a forcing bid, so responder must keep the auction going._
   - _Experienced players signal strength with a forcing response._

## Origin

Formed within English from "force" plus the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/forcing (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).