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.
“He’s a big-time talent and a guy that was kind of an enforcer for us on the edge.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Bauer squared off with Canadiens enforcer Arber Xhekaj, fighting him to a draw—and, much more importantly, giving his teammates a spark that they desperately needed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Atkinson has been the most accurate - 49% of his powerplay deliveries have hit a good length - and economical new-ball bowler, while Overton appears to have been given the middle-over enforcer role.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Taeb, a cleric, was named commander of the Basij, the IRGC's vast youth militia, which has become notorious as an enforcer of security in Iranian neighbourhoods.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Cupid seemed more like a thug, an enforcer.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
