enforce

verb

en·​force in-ˈfȯrs How to pronounce enforce (audio)
en-
enforced; enforcing; enforces

transitive verb

1
: to give force to : strengthen
2
: to urge with energy
enforce arguments
3
: constrain, compel
enforce obedience
4
obsolete : to effect or gain by force
5
: to carry out effectively
enforce laws
enforceability noun
enforceable adjective
enforcement noun

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
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.
The society began assuming many of the responsibilities previously provided by the county, signing contracts with cities across the region to take in strays, help with spaying and neutering, return lost animals to their owners and enforce licensing and other rules. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2025 If the tax code is going to be enforced by machines, and the preparation calculated and handled by the same, the rules those machines follow should be legible and contestable, argues Andrew Leahey. Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025 The lawsuit asks the US District Court in Washington, DC, to affirm the order’s unconstitutionality and bar the Trump administration from enforcing the president’s demands that PBS be defunded. Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 30 May 2025 Senate Bill 20 gives cities and counties explicit authority to pursue civil actions — like fines or lawsuits — to enforce the state’s tenant and safe-housing laws that regulate security deposits, apartment conditions, rental applications and mobile home parks. Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for enforce

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French enforcer, from en- + force force

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of enforce was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Enforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

enforce

verb
en·​force in-ˈfō(ə)rs How to pronounce enforce (audio)
-ˈfȯ(ə)rs
1
: to bring about by force : compel
enforce obedience
2
: to carry out effectively
enforce the law
enforceable adjective
enforcement noun
enforcer noun

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 legislationU.S. Constitution amend. XIX

More from Merriam-Webster on enforce

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