Duress means being forced to do something through threats, violence, or other forms of pressure. When someone acts under duress, they're not making a free choice: they're doing something because they're afraid of what will happen if they don't.

If a bully threatens to hurt someone unless they hand over their lunch money, the victim is acting under duress. If someone signs a contract because they've been threatened, lawyers might say the signature doesn't count because it was obtained under duress. The key is that the person feels they have no real choice: the pressure or threat is so serious that they do something they wouldn't normally do.

In legal contexts, proving someone acted under duress can be important. If a witness was threatened into changing their testimony, or if someone was forced to confess to something they didn't do, that's duress.

Duress is different from simply feeling pressured or uncomfortable. It involves genuine fear of harm, whether physical, emotional, or otherwise severe. Understanding duress helps us recognize when someone's actions don't truly reflect their own will, but rather the overwhelming force being applied against them.