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
Rodriguez said the amendment clarifies that violations of the disclosure requirement would be enforced as civil violations, a change intended to address concerns raised earlier in the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
—
Teresa Liu, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
That means enforcing bycatch limits, regulating fishing effort, and improving monitoring on the high seas.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Hosts who rent out their entire home on a short-term basis are already required to pay a two-year license fee of $1,129, money that goes toward the cost of enforcing the city’s vacation rental regulations.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The bus drivers do nothing to enforce the rules, and we seniors are left trudging down the bus aisle while the people in the seats smirk, look at their phones and talk to each other.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enforce
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Teresa Liu, Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
That means enforcing bycatch limits, regulating fishing effort, and improving monitoring on the high seas.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Hosts who rent out their entire home on a short-term basis are already required to pay a two-year license fee of $1,129, money that goes toward the cost of enforcing the city’s vacation rental regulations.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The bus drivers do nothing to enforce the rules, and we seniors are left trudging down the bus aisle while the people in the seats smirk, look at their phones and talk to each other.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for enforce
Cite this Entry
“Enforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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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