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
The government is denying his choice by enforcing this ban on staff assistance.
Hundreds of Thousands of Nursing Home Residents May Not Be Able to Vote in November Because of the Pandemic | by Ryan McCarthy and Jack Gillum | August 26, 2020 | ProPublicaIs there actually any incentive for the government to enforce itself and restrict its own data collection operations.
Podcast: Want consumer privacy? Try China | Michael Reilly | August 19, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewIn May, the FTC Bureau of Competition vowed to continue to rigidly enforce antitrust laws despite the health emergency.
The Cybersecurity Law didn’t have a strong mechanism for enforcing data protection.
Inside China’s unexpected quest to protect data privacy | Tate Ryan-Mosley | August 19, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThat border is technically closed, but there are some border towns which are binational, so it’s hard to enforce.
It has argued that it would lose $100,000 in business if the regulations are enforced.
The fact is, there are facially neutral religious rules that have been unevenly enforced for millennia.
Catholic Church: Religious Freedom Trumps Civil Rights | Jay Michaelson | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA nighttime curfew that was imposed a few weeks ago seems barely enforced now—no doubt to the relief of the women at the Ramada.
In addition, many dancers don't necessarily want that legal employee status enforced.
Oregon’s Stripper Lobby: Legislators Ask Exotic Dancers for Help With Strip Club Bill | Mary Emily O’Hara | October 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMoreover, under Eric Holder the Justice Department has vigorously enforced the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr.
Eric Holder’s Legacy: Bold on Equality, Less So on Civil Liberties | Geoffrey R. Stone | September 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt secures in many cases, at least, a ready compliance with a large part of the discipline enforced.
Children's Ways | James SullyFirst, a voluntary undertaking to work for another without compensation cannot be enforced.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesThe supremacy of the United States must and will be enforced throughout every part of the Archipelago.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanNot until late in July was I able to resume work—an enforced absence from duty of four long months.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowThe council members had no power to make laws but were appointed to see that the laws approved by the King were enforced.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. Torpey
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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