Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

duress

/duˈɹɛs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.02 in modern English

Syllables
du-ress
IPA
/duˈɹɛs/
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Harsh treatment.

Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

Constraint by threat.

Uncountable

noun

Restraint in which a person is influenced, whether by lawful or unlawful forceful compulsion of their liberty by monition or implementation of physical enforcement; legally for the incurring of civil liability, of a citizen's arrest, or of subrogation, or illegally for the committing of an offense, of forcing a contract, or of using threats.

Uncountable

verb

To put under duress; to pressure.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English duresse, from Old French duresse, from Latin dūritia (“hardness”), from dūrus (“hard”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /duˈɹɛs/
  • British English: /djʊˈɹɛs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

duresses (present, singular) duressing (participle, present) duressed (participle, past) duressed (past)

Derived Forms

duressor

Phrases

duress of circumstances duress password

Frequently Paired Words

endure

Rhymes With

yes less process guess press success access second-guess bad press unless address congress

Questions

How do you pronounce duress?
The recorded pronunciation is /duˈɹɛs/.
What does duress mean?
Harsh treatment.
Where does duress come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce duress

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “duress”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/duˈɹɛs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “duress”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “duress” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.