enforce
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.
Origin of enforce
1Other words for enforce
Other words from enforce
- en·force·a·ble, adjective
- en·force·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- en·forc·ed·ly [en-fawr-sid-lee, -fohr-], /ɛnˈfɔr sɪd li, -ˈfoʊr-/, adverb
- en·forc·er, noun
- en·forc·ive, adjective
- half-en·forced, adjective
- non·en·force·a·ble, adjective
- non·en·forced, adjective
- non·en·for·ced·ly, adverb
- non·en·forc·ing, adjective
- pre·en·force, verb (used with object), pre·en·forced, pre·en·forc·ing.
- qua·si-en·forced, adjective
- un·en·force·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- un·en·force·a·ble, adjective
- un·en·forced, adjective
- un·en·forc·ed·ly, adverb
- well-en·forced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use enforce in a sentence
She had previously recommended wearing masks but resisted making it a mandate, calling it a “feel-good” measure that wasn’t being enforced in other states.
Sheriff Bill Gore said deputies will also begin enforcing health orders in cities such as El Cajon, where cases have spiked but police enforcement has not.
Morning Report: Turning Border Sewage Into Local Water | Voice of San Diego | November 20, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoMeanwhile, the government agencies charged with enforcing child labor laws don’t look for violations, though some officials say they aren’t surprised to hear it’s happening.
Inside the Lives of Immigrant Teens Working Dangerous Night Shifts in Suburban Factories | by Melissa Sanchez | November 19, 2020 | ProPublicaMany local law enforcement agencies told NBC San Diego they’ll help enforce restrictions but plan to focus on education and compliance.
Morning Report: Water Districts Wary of San Diego’s Pipeline Plan | Voice of San Diego | November 17, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoCounty officials requested that police and sheriffs step up efforts to enforce the rules.
Thankfully, the female lawyers told them to go jump in a lake, so the law was not enforceable.
Today the court reaffirmed the traditional view that there must be a judicially-enforceable limit on the powers of Congress.
Is the Supreme Court’s Health-Care Ruling a Turning Point in Constitutional Law? | Randy Barnett | June 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe directive issued this month is more of a strong recommendation than an enforceable rule.
A postnup can be a good way to arrange an enforceable system that helps arbitrate disagreements.
Postnups Becoming More Popular, but They’re Not for Everyone | Jacoba Urist | May 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTCritically, there is no enforceable international air-safety regime.
And any contract of insurance made by him under its terms is valid and enforceable.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesAn unjust law was no more enforceable in those centuries than it is in the twentieth century.
All About Coffee | William H. UkersAn ideal policy, but hardly enforceable with a man of Adams' temperament and with the Cabinet he had inherited.
Thomas Jefferson | Gilbert ChinardWhat parliament makes law is law, but is not therefore enforceable.
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3) | Leslie StephenIts award, however, is not enforceable at law, but is merely in the nature of friendly advice.
The Long White Cloud | William Pember Reeves
British Dictionary definitions for enforce
/ (ɪnˈfɔːs) /
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
- enforceable, adjective
- enforceability, noun
- enforcedly (ɪnˈfɔːsɪdlɪ), adverb
- enforcement, noun
- enforcer, 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
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