enforcer

[ en-fawr-ser, -fohr- ]

/ ɛnˈfɔr sər, -ˈfoʊr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enforcer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that enforces.

the member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient.

a person, especially a public official, who enforces laws, regulations, rules, or the like.

Also called policeman. Ice Hockey. a physically intimidating or willingly belligerent player who is counted on to retaliate when rough tactics are used by the opposing team.

Nearby words

enfleurage, enflurane, enfold, enforce, enforcement, enforcer, enfranchise, eng, eng., eng. d., engadine

Origin of enforcer

First recorded in 1570–80; enforce + -er¹

Examples from the Web for enforcer

Brunch is a catalyst, brunch is the enforcer of different-rules-for-the-weekend.
Don’t Diss the Beauty of Brunch: Defending Our Favorite Meal|Tim Teeman|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The PA has decided to take its job as enforcer very seriously these days.
Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, Mahmoud Abbas Has Got to Go|Maysoon Zayid|December 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He ended up landing a small role as an enforcer for a high-level gangster.
R.I.P. Dennis Farina: Six of His Best Roles (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|July 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound enforcer must have raged inside to have this physically unprepossessing woman send him away for good.
Mike McLelland Investigation Focuses on Those the D.A. Prosecuted|Michael Daly|April 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And the House can keep the witness there, using its own enforcer—its “sergeant at arms”—until the House session ends.
Threatening Eric Holder With a Contempt Citation Is Just Cheap Talk|Akhil Reed Amar|June 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
As the system develops and our prejudices are abandoned, a method of policing must stand as an enforcer of international law.
Prize Orations of the Intercollegiate Peace Association|Intercollegiate Peace Association
The late Miss Clarke has well said “to argue this point would be enforcer une porte ouverte.”
Astronomical Curiosities|J. Ellard Gore
Stern represser of revolt, and enforcer of the law, was Gloucester himself a defaulter in these respects?
Humphrey Duke of Gloucester|K.H. Vickers
Yet love of justice is strong, even in the strictest enforcer of discipline—when the enforcer is Anglo-Saxon.
Atlantic Narratives|Mary Antin