1. N-COUNT A compulsion is a strong desire to do something, which you find difficult to control. 沖動

He felt a sudden compulsion to drop the bucket and run. 他感到一股突如其來的扔下桶跑掉的沖動。

2. N-UNCOUNT If someone uses compulsion in order to get you to do something, they force you to do it, for example by threatening to punish you if you do not do it. 逼迫

Many universities argued that students learned more when they were in classes out of choice rather than compulsion. 很多大學認為學生出于自愿比被逼迫上課能學到更多的東西。