enforcer

noun

en·​forc·​er in-ˈfȯr-sər 

en-

1

: one that enforces

2

a

: a violent criminal employed by a crime syndicate

especially : hit man sense 1

b

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

Examples of enforcer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Will be a box safety and enforcer for the defense. —Pete Sampson, New York Times, 7 May 2026

Gosling’s Holland March reluctantly joins with Crowe’s Jackson Healy, an enforcer, on a missing girl case. —Jake Coyle, Fortune, 6 May 2026

That somebody is Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), who, as the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale revealed, has gone from hard-nosed enforcer for the government to secret operative for the resistance. —Shannon Carlin, Time, 6 May 2026

Unwilling to take orders or play by the rules of polite society, the two partner up as a bookmaker and his enforcer and run an illicit gambling operation that proves highly profitable — but dangerous. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for enforcer

• endorser
• indorser
• coarser
• courser
• reinforcer