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.
Appeared in the March 28, 2026, print edition as 'Trump’s Civil-Rights Enforcer in Action'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Such was the dominance of a player who would be called The Enforcer for the way he inflicted his will on college and NFL opponents.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2025
The Enforcer made several trips to where Danish energy company Ørsted is developing the South Fork Wind project with the utility Eversource.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 15, 2023
They’re described by their roles or function: the Hero, the Coach, the Enforcer, the Consoler, the Daredevil, the Warrior, among others.
From Slate • Nov. 6, 2022
In his memoir, "The Last Enforcer," he says in most of his fights, the opposition starts it and he ends it.
From Fox News • Feb. 2, 2022
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.
