enact

verb

en·​act i-ˈnakt 

enacted; enacting; enacts

transitive verb

1

: to establish by legal and authoritative act

specifically : to make into law

enact a bill

2

: act out

enact a role

enactor

i-ˈnak-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• constitute
• lay down
• legislate
• make
• ordain
• pass

Examples of enact in a Sentence

Congress will enact legislation related to that issue.

The law was finally enacted today.

Recent Examples on the Web

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images House Majority Leader Steve Scalise formally introduced legislation to enact President Donald Trump's $9.4 billion rescissions package on Friday, setting up a floor vote as early as Tuesday. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025

However, it wasn’t ultimately enacted by the last Congress. —Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

The alliance between President Trump and Elon Musk went up in flames Thursday, days after the world's richest man left the administration and tried to wield his influence to kill a massive budget bill that is central to enacting the president's top legislative priorities. —Joe Walsh, CBS News, 5 June 2025

President Trump enacted a travel ban on citizens from a dozen countries Wednesday, including Afghanistan, where U.S. troops were stationed for nearly two decades. —Greg Myre, NPR, 5 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for enact

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact
• intact

Kids Definition

enact

verb

en·​act in-ˈakt 

1

: to make (as a bill) into law

enact legislation

2

: to act out

enact a scene from a play

enactor

-ˈak-tər 

noun

Legal Definition

enact

transitive verb

en·​act i-ˈnakt 

: to establish by legal and authoritative act : make into law

enact a bill