enact

verb

en·​act i-ˈnakt 

enacted; enacting; enacts

transitive verb

1

: to establish by legal and authoritative act

specifically : to make into law

enact a bill

2

: act out

enact a role

enactor

i-ˈnak-tər 

noun

Synonyms of enact

• pass
• constitute
• legislate
• approve
• make

Examples of enact in a Sentence

Congress will enact legislation related to that issue.

The law was finally enacted today.

Recent Examples on the Web

The House approved legislation Wednesday that would bar members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks, advancing an ethics proposal that lawmakers in both parties have long championed but repeatedly failed to enact. — Joey Cappelletti, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Congress enacted section 7217 in the aftermath of Watergate in an effort to separate IRS enforcement decisions from political influence. — Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Durbin was a congressman when the last major change to Social Security was enacted in 1983. — Lorie Konish, CNBC, 23 July 2026

In May, Florida Republicans enacted new districts, hoping to help their party gain four seats in the House of Representatives. — Rahul Mukherjee, NPR, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for enact

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact
• intact

Kids Definition

enact

verb

en·​act in-ˈakt 

1

: to make (as a bill) into law

enact legislation

2

: to act out

enact a scene from a play

enactor

-ˈak-tər 

noun

Legal Definition

enact

transitive verb

en·​act i-ˈnakt 

: to establish by legal and authoritative act : make into law

enact a bill