zwingen

Zwingen is a German verb meaning to force or compel. It is transitive and governs a direct object, often with a following infinitive clause: jemanden zwingen, etwas zu tun. The verb forms a strong-verb pattern: present ich zwinge, du zwingst, er zwingt, wir zwingen, ihr zwingt, sie zwingen; the preterite is zwang (ich zwang) and the past participle is gezwungen. It can be used in passive constructions: er wurde gezwungen, die Wahrheit zu sagen.

In usage, zwingen conveys external pressure or coercion and is generally more forceful than verbs like veranlassen (to cause) or dazu bringen (to induce). It often implies a lack of voluntary agreement. Example: Die Umstände zwangen ihn, eine Entscheidung zu treffen. Beispiel: Der Vertrag zwingt ihn, regelmäßig zu arbeiten. The distinction to related terms depends on context: zwingen emphasizes compulsion, while möglichkeiten wie „veranlassen“ or „ermutigen“ emphasize encouragement or permission.

Etymologically, zwingen has roots in the Germanic language family and is cognate with related West Germanic verbs in historic forms. The sense of external pressure developed into the modern meaning of forcing someone to act.

As a place name, Zwingen is the name of a municipality in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland.