enact
Americanverb (used with object)
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enacts,
present (3rd person singular)
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enacted,
past participle, past
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enacting
present participle
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to make into an act or statute.
Congress has enacted a new tax law.
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to represent on or as on the stage; act the part of.
to enact Hamlet.
verb
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to make into an act or statute
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to establish by law; ordain or decree
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to represent or perform in or as if in a play; to act out
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enactmentnoun
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enactornoun
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preenactverb (used with object)
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reenactverb (used with object)
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enactableadjective
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enactiveadjective
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unenactedadjective
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well-enactedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enactsimple
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enactssimple
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have enactedperfect
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has enactedperfect
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am enactingprogressive
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are enactingprogressive
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is enactingprogressive
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have been enactingperfect progressive
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has been enactingperfect progressive
Past
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enactedsimple
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had enactedperfect
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was enactingprogressive
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were enactingprogressive
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had been enactingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enact
First recorded in 1375–1425, enact is from the late Middle English word enacten. See en- 1, act
Explanation
You often hear that Congress is going to enact a new statute, which means that they will make it into a law. But enact also means to perform, like in a play. (Makes you wonder if the lawmakers are actors!) Inside the word enact is that little word act, meaning “to do.” That makes sense, because when you enact something, you make it happen. And of course, we know that to act also means to perform, and so enact means “to act out,” like on stage. Now that the new rules have been enacted, you'll have to stop wearing your gorilla suit to work. Even after Labor Day.
Vocabulary lists containing enact
The Mayflower Compact (1620)
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Vocabulary from history writings about the Triangle Factory Fire
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Just Do It: Act
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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:
As part of the deal, the firm promised to enact two-hour daily time limits for young users, along with night-time blocks on use, muted notifications during school hours, and other changes.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
TikTok on Friday agreed to pay Alabama at least $100 million and enact time limits and other restrictions for teen users, avoiding trial with a settlement modeled on Instagram-owner Meta's recent agreement with US states.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
A medical student pressed him on how one senator could actually enact the sweeping things he was promising.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Adam Raine’s mom, Maria, said in the news conference that the new law will help save lives and hopes that other states will enact similar legislation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Marine Corps, air force, army, and navy units at various military bases around the country stood by to enact the commands of Red and Blue Team brass.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
These conflicting emotions are cued by music that enacts the characters’ inner lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
You mentioned that sometimes Congress enacts authorizations for use of military force.
From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2026
Then, Broad enacts the exact same scene with more precise moves and an impressive leap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2025
The true danger lies not only in what the state enacts, but in what the public comes to accept as normal, even necessary.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
In a separate act, the Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance, which outlaws slavery in the territories north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi Rivers.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
In July, she enacted a three-year pause on any new tax break given to a company for a data centres project.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
But taken together, government pledges would cover only 27 percent of land and inland waters by the end of this decade if enacted in full.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Billions of dollars could be on the table across the 19 states and Washington, D.C., that haven’t opted in to the scholarship program enacted by Congress last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The administration has not detailed how such a $5,000 payment would be funded or enacted.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Thirty-six states enacted laws that gave victims specific rights to participate in the trial process or to make victim impact statements.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
"We are working closely with our partners and are enacting the well-rehearsed plans we have in place."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
She’s enacting the No. 1 piece of advice I give all my straight, single female pals suffering from go-nowhere serial monogamy: Date a minimum of three men.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
District Court Judge Indira Talwani, a federal judge in Massachusetts, who will decide in the coming days whether to issue a permanent ban on enacting the system for this election.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
What we have seen in Minneapolis is ordinary people insisting on their own vision of what we are and what we do as a country, then enacting that vision.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Luckily, she had lost her voice, and she could only smile and shrug and wave her arms gracefully, like fronds, as the children tried to guess what sort of charade she was enacting.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
