1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

enforcer

noun

Definition of enforcernext
1
as in disciplinarian

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in thug

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of enforcer The episode traces Danton’s rise from one of Canada’s top young hockey prospects to an NHL enforcer known for his physical style of play. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026 An enforcer for Tony Soprano, Pastore’s character was featured in 30 episodes over the run of the series, even though his character was killed off in The Sopranos’ Season 2 finale. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Big Pussy was seminal to the show’s lore as Tony’s longtime best friend and trusted mob enforcer; his betrayal in becoming an FBI informant led to his murder and became one of the show’s most memorable scenes early in the show’s run. — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Moranis memorably played Lord Dark Helmet, the undersized Spaceballs enforcer. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for enforcer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enforcer
  1. disciplinarian
  2. thug
  3. taskmaster
  4. gangster
  5. dictator
  6. mobster
  7. tyrant
  8. racketeer
Noun
  • During his time with the Yankees, Mendoza was known as a disciplinarian behind the scenes, but the team loved and respected his hard coaching.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • You are asked to be teachers, counselors, social workers, disciplinarians, mentors, advocates, crisis managers and emotional anchors for children navigating an increasingly complicated world.
    — Susana A. Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Definition of disciplinarian
Noun
  • That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.
    — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • In Aries, the taskmaster’s lessons are centered around independence, initiative and the courage to take the lead.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • She is thrown into isolation before getting the opportunity to once again assimilate, Marc is a genuine taskmaster, but a dedicated defender publicly and to the cops about the legitimacy of his operation and its residents.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Definition of taskmaster
Noun
  • Unfolding over eight episodes, this brash gangster romp is ludicrous enough to be entertaining in its own way; but the dialogue and plotting really are unforgivably bad.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Michelle Yeoh stars as a gifted doctor forced at gunpoint to operate on a gangster with a life-threatening condition.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • Ovechkin, who turns 41 on Thursday — the same day the Capitals open training camp — has long been a public supporter of Putin, the de facto dictator whose authoritarian regime has overseen a full-scale war with neighboring Ukraine since 2022.
    — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Sazan is a rugged place—strewn with rocks and tangles of trees, populated by a large colony of rats, and studded with bunkers built by the Marxist dictator Enver Hoxha to defend against an imaginary invasion.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of dictator
Noun
  • Bobby is open to a partnership with Italian mobster Marco Moretti (Sergio Castellitto) and his unhinged liaison Cico Maldini (Michele Morrone).
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Working titled Jaq, the show will shoot next year and is part of a wider expansion of the Top Boy universe, with Barry Keoghan returning as Irish mobster Jonny McGee in prequel Jonny Boy.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of mobster
Noun
  • Netanyahu brands Erdogan an ‘antisemitic tyrant’ Netanyahu and Katz have pushed back on the political motivation narrative, warning instead of an impending Turkish footprint in Syria.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Some tin-pot tyrant decides their country really owns part of another and invades.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of tyrant
Noun
  • Of course, entrusting waste management to gangsters and racketeers has repercussions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 July 2026
  • Ferro pleaded guilty in October 2025 to conspiracy to participate in a racketeer influenced and corrupt organization.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Definition of racketeer

Browse Nearby Words

enforced
enforcer
enforcers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enforcer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enforcer. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aggrandize

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All