enforced; enforcing; enforces
1
: to give force to : strengthen
2
: to urge with energy
enforce arguments
4
obsolete
: to effect or gain by force
5
: to carry out effectively
enforce laws
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
The administration has already gone after other Democrat-run cities, citing high crime and homicide rates as the justification for bringing in Immigration and Customs (ICE) agents and, at times, the National Guard as necessary to clamp down on crime and enforce immigration law.
—
Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Shareholder activists have successfully enforced the strict standards of private equity ownership onto public companies, according to Rossman, holding them to quarterly performance measures focused relentlessly on maximizing efficiency and value.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
The lawsuit alleges Page and social workers with DCFS did not enforce a safety plan, neglected to fix the barrier before placing the twins in the home and did not conduct in-home checks that would show non-compliance.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025
The new policies could also shift more funding to places that enforce bans on homeless encampments.
—NPR, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enforce
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Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Shareholder activists have successfully enforced the strict standards of private equity ownership onto public companies, according to Rossman, holding them to quarterly performance measures focused relentlessly on maximizing efficiency and value.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2025
The lawsuit alleges Page and social workers with DCFS did not enforce a safety plan, neglected to fix the barrier before placing the twins in the home and did not conduct in-home checks that would show non-compliance.
—Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025
The new policies could also shift more funding to places that enforce bans on homeless encampments.
—NPR, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enforce
Cite this Entry
“Enforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
enforce
verb
en·force
in-ˈfō(ə)rs 
-ˈfȯ(ə)rs
1
: to bring about by force : compel
enforce obedience
2
: to carry out effectively
enforce the law
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 legislation—U.S. Constitution amend. XIX
U.S. Constitution amend. XIXLove words? Need even more definitions?
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