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
In September, a federal judge prevented Utah from enforcing them.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025
In Kansas City, the city’s health department enforces the food code while in Kansas, the state’s Department of Agriculture handles inspections.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers increase pressure on social media moderation Luna and Boebert's statements underscore growing political pressure on tech companies to better enforce content rules.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enforce
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Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2025
In Kansas City, the city’s health department enforces the food code while in Kansas, the state’s Department of Agriculture handles inspections.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers increase pressure on social media moderation Luna and Boebert's statements underscore growing political pressure on tech companies to better enforce content rules.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.
—Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 12 Sep. 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 15 Sep. 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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