enforcer
Americannoun
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a person or thing that enforces.
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the member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient.
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a person, especially a public official, who enforces laws, regulations, rules, or the like.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of enforcer
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.
But it’s Big Baby, a crayon-tattooed, life-size enforcer in “Toy Story 3,” that still haunts me.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
But I don’t think any serious antitrust enforcer who looks at the facts, the law, the economics of this transaction will see an antitrust violation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
The latter is sung by “SNL” alum Ana Gasteyer, a standout as the unofficial moral enforcer of the town, who sees the strange interlopers as, well, troublemakers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Vietnam's ruling Communist Party "unanimously" re-elected To Lam as general secretary on Friday, confirming the former security enforcer as the country's top leader for the next five years and backing his vision for growth-oriented change.
From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026
Nina knew him only in passing—a bouncer and an enforcer, like the ill-fated Big Bolliger.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
