Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enforcement
1425–75; late Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French. See enforce, -ment
Explanation
Enforcement is when someone in a position of power makes sure you follow the rules, whether it’s a police officer pulling over a speeding car, or your brother catching you cheating at checkers. Most people benefit from the enforcement of laws, because it prevents criminals from taking advantage of others. You can see the word force inside enforcement, and it usually takes a little force to keep people from breaking rules. Enforcement may not make you a popular person – think of a hall monitor – but it does make for an obedient and organized life.
Vocabulary lists containing enforcement
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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Bush's Address on 9/11
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Holes
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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.
Law enforcement officials responded Saturday evening to a report of an unconscious man who was not breathing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Prior to enforcement escalation in June, the three emergency rooms saw a cumulative weekly average of 1,943 U.S.-born patients and 2,367 foreign-born patients, with the majority hailing from Mexico and Central or South America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
But enforcement was weak and so the practice remained common, particularly on buses.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
He chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term, where he largely took a pro-business stance but brought enforcement cases against the nascent crypto industry.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Ralph Myers was illiterate, but he knew that it was the Morrison crime that was preoccupying law enforcement investigators.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
