enforce
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put or keep in force; compel obedience to.
to enforce a rule; Traffic laws will be strictly enforced.
- Synonyms:
- apply, execute, impose, administer
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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.
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to support (a demand, claim, etc.) by force.
to enforce one's rights as a citizen.
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to impress or urge (an argument, contention, etc.) forcibly; lay stress upon.
He enforced his argument by adding details.
verb
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to ensure observance of or obedience to (a law, decision, etc)
-
to impose (obedience, loyalty, etc) by or as by force
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to emphasize or reinforce (an argument, demand, etc)
Other Word Forms
- enforceability noun
- enforceable adjective
- enforcedly adverb
- enforcement noun
- enforcer noun
- enforcive adjective
- half-enforced adjective
- nonenforceable adjective
- nonenforced adjective
- nonenforcedly adverb
- nonenforcing adjective
- preenforce verb (used with object)
- quasi-enforced adjective
- unenforceability noun
- unenforceable adjective
- unenforced adjective
- unenforcedly adverb
- well-enforced adjective
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” ( force )
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.
The second line was that banning A.I. would just enforce our actual policies, because A.I. already tends to break rules.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
By Jan. 15, it filed its suit in court, looking to enforce the request for records.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
“But the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.”
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
Police in Auburn Hills, where Stellantis’s headquarters is located, said they don’t enforce parking regulations on the campus unless someone parks in a handicap space or a fire lane.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
There were laws about sending children to school but no one sought out these ignorant people in order to enforce the law.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
