enact

1 of 2

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

enactor

2 of 2

noun

en·​ac·​tor -ktə(r) 

: one that enacts

the new laws … fulfilled the fondest hopes of their enactors

—Oscar Handlin

Synonyms of enact

Verb

• pass
• constitute
• legislate
• approve
• make

Examples of enact in a Sentence

Verb

Congress will enact legislation related to that issue.

The law was finally enacted today.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For comparison, several states are weighing more restrictive bills — New York recently sent legislation to the governor’s desk that would enact a one-year moratorium. —Katie King, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026

Louisiana, Virginia, and Tennessee have enacted similar laws. —Audrey Boone Tillman, Fortune, 19 June 2026

The first statute gives the US the ability to identify emerging technologies and enact interim restrictions over them. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 June 2026

The city officially enacted the pause a few days later, after which the three employees were asked to attend separate Zoom meetings with an Amazon HR rep. —Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 19 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

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