enact

[ en-akt ]

/ ɛnˈækt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: enact / enacted / enacting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to make into an act or statute: Congress has enacted a new tax law.

to represent on or as on the stage; act the part of: to enact Hamlet.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of enact

First recorded in 1375–1425, enact is from the late Middle English word enacten.See en-¹, act

OTHER WORDS FROM enact

en·act·a·ble, adjectiveen·ac·tor, nounpre·en·act, verb (used with object)re·en·act, verb (used with object)

un·en·act·ed, adjectivewell-en·act·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enact in a sentence

Evenflo was able to make up its own side-impact safety tests for boosters and assert that they passed them, because NHTSA never enacted side-impact test standards for children’s car seats and boosters despite a 2000 law directing it to do so.
House Subcommittee Says Proposed Booster Seat Safety Rules Fall Short|by Patricia Callahan|November 19, 2020|ProPublica
It was a relevant argument considering the regional schedule enacted amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Reds’ Trevor Bauer, Indians’ Shane Bieber capture Cy Young awards|Jesse Dougherty|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
It was developed by the league’s workplace diversity committee and came after a previous proposal to reward the franchise that hires a minority candidate was not enacted by the owners during a remote meeting in May.
NFL owners vote to incentivize increasing diversity; playoffs to expand if regular season cut short|Mark Maske|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
The resolution was formulated by the NFL’s workplace diversity committee and represents a different approach than the one taken by a previous proposal that the owners considered in May but did not enact.
Steelers stay unbeaten, Chargers drop another heartbreaker in NFL Week 9|Cindy Boren, Mark Maske, Des Bieler|November 9, 2020|Washington Post

The resolution was formulated by the NFL’s workplace diversity committee and represents a new approach than the one in a different proposal that the owners considered in May but did not enact.
NFL considers plan to reward teams that develop minority head coaches, general managers|Mark Maske|November 8, 2020|Washington Post
In ‘Chasing Shackleton’, Tim Jarvis re-enacts a hundred-year-old Antarctic journey using replica gear and clothing.
Polar Explorer vs. Reality TV Crew: Tim Jarvis in the Footsteps of Shackleton|Darrell Hartman|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This kind of discourse enacts, I would argue, the exact opposite of hakaras hatov.
Rabbi, Why Should I Vote?|Sigal Samuel|October 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Here Monty enacts a fantasy of benign American imperialism, touring Europe and Africa in his pleasure yacht.
American Dreams: Brewster’s Millions and Triumphant America|Nathaniel Rich|January 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This tribunal or legislative body enacts all the laws for the general regulations of their divisions of the kingdom.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)|Elliott Coues
"He who enacts the fool, your Majesty, without patent to office must needs have good legs," replied the young man.
Under the Rose|Frederic Stewart Isham
Consequently he who moulds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions.
Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1832-1865|Abraham Lincoln
Congress never enacts a measure which is believed to oppose public opinion;—your Congressman keeps his ear to the ground.
The Negro Problem|Booker T. Washington, et al.
It annexes the territory in question to the Orleans Territory; it creates a Governor; it enacts laws, and appropriates money.
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856 (4 of 16 vol.)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for enact

enact

/ (ɪnˈækt) /

verb (tr)

to make into an act or statute

to establish by law; ordain or decree

to represent or perform in or as if in a play; to act out

Derived forms of enact

enactable, adjectiveenactive or enactory, adjectiveenactment or enaction, nounenactor, noun

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

enact

Origin of enact

OTHER WORDS FROM enact

Words related to enact

How to use enact in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enact

Derived forms of enact