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:
While Judge Biedscheid's order only demands Meta make changes in New Mexico, should the 30 states prevail in their separate lawsuit against Meta, it would almost certainly need to enact platform changes across the US.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Chait points to the Senate’s creation—a compromise between bigger and smaller states to enact the Constitution.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
Australia will enact laws to regulate how artificial intelligence data centres use power and water, and to protect creative copyright, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
A White House official said that the president’s advisers were involved in the selection process and supported his decision, and that ultimately everyone is working to enact his agenda.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
“It was utter folly to have the players enact his father’s murder in the presence of Claudius himself. How is this revenge?”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
If elected governor, Villaraigosa said he would “reform and overhaul” the California Air Resources Board, which enacts many of the state’s environmental laws — including the low carbon fuel standard and cap-and-invest program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
This budget enacts a “deemed approved” permitting process—which automatically certifies pending permits after an established time frame—for Department of Environmental Protection regulations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
The Taoiseach said he had waited until now because he wanted the Finance Bill, which enacts the Budget changes and contains new tax provisions, to be passed.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2024
With McConnell’s support, legal hemp was added to the massive agriculture law, or “farm bill,” that Congress usually enacts every five years.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2024
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 2001, Fairfax lawmakers enacted a ban on all herbicides, insecticides and rodenticides on public land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The Sentencing Act actually has a clause, not yet enacted, that would allow foreign nationals to be deported at the point of sentence.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
According to Airbnb research, when cities like New York enacted stricter hosting policies, swaths of the company’s home-rental footprint effectively disappeared in those areas.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
In fact, Congress enacted Title IX, the statute requiring equal opportunity for women athletes, because it was concerned about sex discrimination, not physical differences between men and women.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
The village councillors had enacted a bounty on screechers after one ventured into a garbage pile during an Autumn Faire.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
“At the same time, we are encouraged that Congress can prevent similarly situated taxpayers from facing the same unfair result by enacting the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Policymakers also have been busy enacting privacy laws—and they have done so remarkably quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Strong majorities of Californians believe democracy is under attack and support enacting a new state Voting Rights Act to prohibit discrimination and efforts to suppress voting, a poll showed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
They do so by enacting new constitutional text via Article 5.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
Well, I guess Dad finally decided to stop “giving me some space” and start enacting a plan of action, shall we say.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
