enforce

verb

en·​force in-ˈfȯrs How to pronounce enforce (audio)
en-
enforced; enforcing; enforces

transitive verb

1
: to give force to : strengthen
2
: to urge with energy
enforce arguments
3
: constrain, compel
enforce obedience
4
obsolete : to effect or gain by force
5
: to carry out effectively
enforce laws
enforceability noun
enforceable adjective
enforcement noun

Examples of enforce in a Sentence

Police will be enforcing the parking ban. the duty of the police is to enforce the law
Recent Examples on the Web Moscow was unable to prevent the military operation by Azerbaijan, to protect the Armenians living in the region or to enforce the terms of the 2020 cease-fire, which called for maintaining a highway that connects Stepanakert and Armenia. Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023 The lawsuit accuses Abbott and Paxton of failing to enforce the CROWN Act, a new state law outlawing racial discrimination based on hairstyles. CBS News, 23 Sep. 2023 In 1999, the Philippines intentionally grounded a navy transport ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, on Second Thomas Shoal, manned by Filipino marines, to enforce the country’s claim to the area. Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 22 Sep. 2023 The Environmental Protection Agency has used the act to enforce new regulations on industry, which has reduced pollution from power plants and industrial sources. Evan Bush, NBC News, 20 Sep. 2023 The failure to include mechanisms to enforce that agreement was an error, said Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney with the pro bono law firm Public Counsel, one of four firms that represented veterans in the earlier case. Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023 Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that staff for the chamber’s Sergeant-at-Arms — the Senate’s official clothes police — will no longer enforce a dress code on the Senate floor. Mary Clare Jalonick, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Sep. 2023 Library staff called county police to enforce the ban, the statement said. Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2023 These violations and instances of noncompliance dated back to construction projects that began in January 2021 and extended to construction pauses enforced by the Utah State Board of Education and Summit County in July and August 2022. Michael Lee, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enforce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enforcer, from en- + force force

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of enforce was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near enforce

Cite this Entry

“Enforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

enforce

verb
en·​force in-ˈfō(ə)rs How to pronounce enforce (audio)
-ˈfȯ(ə)rs
1
: to bring about by force : compel
enforce obedience
2
: to carry out effectively
enforce the law
enforceable adjective
enforcement noun
enforcer noun

Legal Definition

enforce

transitive verb
en·​force
enforced; enforcing
: to cause to take effect or to be fulfilled
enforcing the divorce decree
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislationU.S. Constitution amend. XIX

More from Merriam-Webster on enforce

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