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Synonyms

enforce

American

[en-fawrs, -fohrs] / ɛnˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs /

verb (used with object)

to put or keep in force; compel obedience to.

to enforce a rule; Traffic laws will be strictly enforced.

Synonyms:

apply, execute, impose, administer
to obtain (payment, obedience, etc.) by force or compulsion.
to impose (a course of action) upon a person.

The doctor enforced a strict dietary regimen.
to support (a demand, claim, etc.) by force.

to enforce one's rights as a citizen.
to impress or urge (an argument, contention, etc.) forcibly; lay stress upon.

He enforced his argument by adding details.

enforce British

/ ɪnˈfɔːs /

verb

to ensure observance of or obedience to (a law, decision, etc)
to impose (obedience, loyalty, etc) by or as by force
to emphasize or reinforce (an argument, demand, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of enforce

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English enforcen, from Anglo-French enforcer, Old French enforcier, enforc(ir), from en- en- ¹ + forci(e)r “to compel, strengthen” ( see force)

Explanation

To enforce means to make sure the laws and rules are being followed. So those guys wearing striped outfits and whistles? They're in charge of enforcing the rules of the game. See the word force inside of enforce? It can help you remember that enforce is all about forcing others to follow the rules. The traffic police enforce the driving laws by handing out speeding tickets. Your parents hopefully enforce good behavior by grounding you when you stay out too late. It would be wonderful if everyone just followed the rules on their own, but it seems the temptation to be bad is just too strong. So thank goodness for all the enforcers that keep us in line.

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Vocabulary lists containing enforce

Stay Strong: Forc and Fort

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13th Amendment (1865)

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19th Amendment (1920)

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

enforce enforces enforced enforcing

Tech industry groups such as TechNet say that lawmakers should enforce current laws to strengthen parental controls rather than pass new ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Locals, for whom it is traditional to touch dead relatives to usher them into the afterlife, have chased off health teams sent to enforce no-contact funeral rules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

The ICJ's rulings are binding but it has no power to enforce them.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Mete Coban, deputy mayor of London for environment, said the project would "beef up" councils by giving them resources needed to properly enforce action against misconnections.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The officers couldn’t really enforce a block without authorization.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Boland said Ofcom, which enforces the OSA, should be encouraged use it to "crack down on irresponsible online platforms that leave consumers wide open to fraud".

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The Coastal Act and the agency that enforces it have fielded some fair criticism over the years from developers, homeowners and others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

For more than a decade, aircraft entering Yemeni airspace have needed prior clearance from the Saudi-led coalition that backs the government and says it enforces the restriction at its request.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Aronowitz, as head of the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Department of Labor office that enforces ERISA, is responsible for following through.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Even as our latest Lord Mayor, he cannot expect to be exempt from the penalties which a British climate enforces from all citizens of London.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, March 4th 1914 by Various

However, a more recent survey of students in Kyiv found that 82% chose to speak Russian during break times, even though Ukrainian is enforced in classrooms.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

The local suppression of abolitionist mail persisted throughout the antebellum era during the administrations of Jackson’s eight successors, none of whom enforced the federal statute prohibiting detention of the mail.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

The administration is now seeking public comment, and it could take months or years before the new rules are finalized and formally enforced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Torossian said she was told by the British Embassy in Stockholm that the original deportation decision would not be enforced by the authorities while the injunction order was considered.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

As a child, I had many friends who were girls, but somewhere along the way, new expectations had been enforced and I had been taught to keep my distance.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

It created a national authority capable of enforcing existing EU regulations, which had already formally come into force.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Within days, all of college sports’ major conferences adopted policies against such players returning, essentially enforcing the NCAA’s original rule that players who had been through the NFL draft process forfeited any remaining eligibility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026

The Dodgers called it enforcing the stadium lease.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Wetherspoons told the BBC that staff would be asked to use "common sense" when enforcing the ban.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

There were still few rules at Down House, and Charles was not very good at enforcing the ones he and Emma did make.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023