enact
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make into an act or statute.
Congress has enacted a new tax law.
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to represent on or as on the stage; act the part of.
to enact Hamlet.
verb
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to make into an act or statute
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to establish by law; ordain or decree
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to represent or perform in or as if in a play; to act out
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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enactmentnoun
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enactornoun
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preenactverb (used with object)
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reenactverb (used with object)
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enactableadjective
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enactiveadjective
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unenactedadjective
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well-enactedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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enactsimple
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enactssimple
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have enactedperfect
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has enactedperfect
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am enactingprogressive
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are enactingprogressive
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is enactingprogressive
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have been enactingperfect progressive
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has been enactingperfect progressive
Past
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enactedsimple
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had enactedperfect
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was enactingprogressive
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were enactingprogressive
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had been enactingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of enact
First recorded in 1375–1425, enact is from the late Middle English word enacten. See en- 1, act
Explanation
You often hear that Congress is going to enact a new statute, which means that they will make it into a law. But enact also means to perform, like in a play. (Makes you wonder if the lawmakers are actors!) Inside the word enact is that little word act, meaning “to do.” That makes sense, because when you enact something, you make it happen. And of course, we know that to act also means to perform, and so enact means “to act out,” like on stage. Now that the new rules have been enacted, you'll have to stop wearing your gorilla suit to work. Even after Labor Day.
Vocabulary lists containing enact
The Mayflower Compact (1620)
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Vocabulary from history writings about the Triangle Factory Fire
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Just Do It: Act
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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.
See Examples For:
In the short term, more data-center bans like New York’s—or like the one Maine only failed to enact due to a gubernatorial veto—might push developers to places seen as less politically risky.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Australia will enact laws to regulate how artificial intelligence data centres use power and water, and to protect creative copyright, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
With court challenges, such a process can take years to enact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Ultimately, pro-democracy Americans will need to learn and enact what can be described as political grit — an antidote to despair that combines practical, spiritual and emotional approaches to political action.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Of his being Fayette County’s elected representative to the legislature and driving over to Charleston to put his head together with other important heads and enact profound laws.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
But then he enacts the scene in which Iago subtly poisons Othello’s mind into believing that his wife is having an affair with a handsome lieutenant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026
This budget enacts a “deemed approved” permitting process—which automatically certifies pending permits after an established time frame—for Department of Environmental Protection regulations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
The true danger lies not only in what the state enacts, but in what the public comes to accept as normal, even necessary.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
Simply put, the tax code touches on every aspect of American life, and we need a well-run IRS to ensure that the policies Congress enacts and entrusts to the IRS are properly administered.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2025
In a separate act, the Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance, which outlaws slavery in the territories north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi Rivers.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Those subsidies, enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic to make marketplace coverage more affordable, more than doubled marketplace enrollment between 2020 and 2024.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
No other state has enacted a similar freeze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
While dozens of US cities and counties have enacted local restrictions on data centers, New York's is the first statewide pause.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
The ruling essentially upholds similar bans enacted in 25 other states.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The bills were repeatedly voted down for fear of interfering with the progress of science, even though other countries —including, ironically, Prussia—had enacted regulations governing human research as early as 1891.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
“At the same time, we are encouraged that Congress can prevent similarly situated taxpayers from facing the same unfair result by enacting the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Strong majorities of Californians believe democracy is under attack and support enacting a new state Voting Rights Act to prohibit discrimination and efforts to suppress voting, a poll showed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
They do so by enacting new constitutional text via Article 5.
From Slate ● May 26, 2026
In New York, two opposing bills—one decriminalizing prostitution, which was supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani when he was still an assemblymember, and the other enacting the Nordic model—are still under consideration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
After riding Sunshine, a group of us played at Civil War games, enacting the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, skirmishing with wooden swords and firing log cannons.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
