Duress: A condition in which a person performs an act as a result of violence, threat, or other pressure against the individual. In the legal context, duress can make a contract voidable if one party involuntarily agrees due to the wrongful threat of the other party. In security terms, a duress code is a covert signal used by an individual to indicate they are in danger without alerting the potential aggressor, commonly used in security systems and protocols where silent alarms or emergency signals are necessary.