From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishforce something ↔ back phrasal verbSTOP something THAT IS HAPPENINGto stop yourself from showing that you are upset or frightened, especially with difficulty Janet forced back her tears. → force→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
force back• With Ares gone, however, the Trojans were forced to fall back.• He was forced to back away, almost tripping over bodies and becoming enmeshed in other fights.• Running, running, dozens of arms reaching out to her, hands holding her, forcing her back, back.• It was forced to back down both ti! mes.• At a minimum, they can force the issue back on to the political agenda and make Republicans publicly address the subject again.• It was as if the attacking force had drawn back their battering-ram and steadied it for one final assault.• In 1682, he was forced to go back to Ireland and to stay there for 3 years.• The Tories have perhaps three years before back-bench revolts and by-election defeats force them back to the country. 