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 president’s comments come after his administration expanded a federal program that deputizes local police to enforce immigration laws, signing up nearly 16,000 officers across 40 states as part of an effort to boost deportations, according to data reviewed by Bloomberg News.
—
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Referees could enforce wearing pants but typically don’t, since there doesn’t seem to be pressure from coaches or the NCAA to do so.
—Alex Valdes, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
When enforced, arbitration clauses require a party to exhaust arbitration, which can be expensive and last months or years, before suing.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
At Goddard, Segrid Harris was appointed ETD director in January and began enforcing rigid expectations that many staff saw as a cultural break from NASA norms.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enforce
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Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Referees could enforce wearing pants but typically don’t, since there doesn’t seem to be pressure from coaches or the NCAA to do so.
—Alex Valdes, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
When enforced, arbitration clauses require a party to exhaust arbitration, which can be expensive and last months or years, before suing.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025
At Goddard, Segrid Harris was appointed ETD director in January and began enforcing rigid expectations that many staff saw as a cultural break from NASA norms.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 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 5 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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