enforcer

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noun en·forc·er \ in-ˈfȯr-sər , en- \

Definition of enforcer

1 :one that enforces

2 a :a violent criminal employed by a crime syndicate; especially :hit man 1

b :player (as in ice hockey) known for rough play and fighting

Recent Examples of enforcer from the Web

Marquez, a Mexican Mafia member and alleged enforcer for the Arellano-Felix drug trafficking organization, has been in federal custody since being extradited from Mexico in January 2007.

— dana littlefield, sandiegouniontribune.com, "11 plead not guilty in Mexican Mafia prison gang case," 24 July 2017
For decades, the copy desk has been an all-seeing, all-powerful enforcer of Times standards and verbal peculiarities.

— joe pompeo, The Hive, "The Agony and the Anxiety of The New York Times," 24 July 2017
Marquez, a Mexican Mafia member and alleged enforcer for the Arellano-Felix drug trafficking organization, has been in federal custody since being extradited from Mexico in January 2007.

— dana littlefield, latimes.com, "Not guilty pleas in Mexican Mafia prison gang case," 24 July 2017
Instead of applying conventional antitrust theory, such as the effect of a merger on consumer prices, enforcers may need to consider alternative tools.

— paula dwyer, Bloomberg.com, "Should America’s Tech Giants Be Broken Up?," 20 July 2017
However, following the announcement that Monaco enforcer Tiemoue Bakayoko had joined The Blues, Chalobah was sold to Watford on a permanent deal.

— SI.com, "Why Chelsea’s Signing of Antonio Rudiger and Tiemoue Bakayoko Reveals a Sad Truth About the Club," 19 July 2017
The EU competition enforcer has also charged Google with using its Android mobile operating system to crush rivals, a case that could potentially be the most damaging for the company, with the system used in most smartphones.

— foo yun chee, Alaska Dispatch News, "European Union fines Google record $2.7 billion in antitrust case," 27 June 2017
Last year, one of the organizers of Rafting Gone Wild jumped off a bridge to avoid law enforcers.

— jacob sweet, sacbee.com, "Rafting scene mild, not wild, at annual American River event," 24 June 2017
In the original the late, great David Bowie stood in as a referee for an underground catwalk battle, Milla Jovovich became a villain's enforcer and Donatella Versace, Claudia Schiffer and Tyson Beckford, amongst countless others, showed their faces.

— clive martin and fiona sinclair scott, CNN, "Will this be 2017's most provocative film festival?," 15 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'enforcer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.