enforce

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

verb (used with object), en·forced, en·forc·ing.

to put or keep in force; compel obedience to: to enforce a rule; Traffic laws will be strictly enforced.
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.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of enforce

1275–1325; Middle English enforcen < Anglo-French enforcer, Old French enforcier, enforc(ir), equivalent to en- en-1 + forci(e)r to force

SYNONYMS FOR enforce

1 administer, impose, execute, apply.

OTHER WORDS FROM enforce

Words nearby enforce

enfin, enflame, enfleurage, enflurane, enfold, enforce, enforcement, enforcer, enfranchise, eng, eng.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for enforceable

British Dictionary definitions for enforceable

enforce
/ (ɪnˈfɔːs) /

verb (tr)

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)

Derived forms of enforce

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