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
About 55% of Americans say the federal government should enforce the separation of church and state, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
—
Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Oct. 2025
Under a pending agreement with ICE, the Guard's role enforcing immigration laws could expand to providing additional military personnel to be trained by ICE and deputized into assisting with policing immigration.
—Juan Cordoba, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Jones’s appeals can proceed, but unless a court grants a stay, the families may continue enforcing the judgments during those appeals.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
But with no funding bill poised to pass both chambers, some lawmakers are concerned that the White House’s Office of Management and Budget — or OMB, which is in charge of enforcing budget priorities across federal agencies — may move forward with attempts to implement more draconian cuts.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enforce
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Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Oct. 2025
Under a pending agreement with ICE, the Guard's role enforcing immigration laws could expand to providing additional military personnel to be trained by ICE and deputized into assisting with policing immigration.
—Juan Cordoba, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Jones’s appeals can proceed, but unless a court grants a stay, the families may continue enforcing the judgments during those appeals.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
But with no funding bill poised to pass both chambers, some lawmakers are concerned that the White House’s Office of Management and Budget — or OMB, which is in charge of enforcing budget priorities across federal agencies — may move forward with attempts to implement more draconian cuts.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 3 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 7 Oct. 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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