enforce

[ en-fawrs, -fohrs ]

/ ɛnˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs /

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See synonyms for: enforce / enforced / enforces / enforcing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), en·forced, en·forc·ing.

to put or keep in force; compel obedience to: to enforce a rule; Traffic laws will be strictly enforced.

to obtain (payment, obedience, etc.) by force or compulsion.

to impose (a course of action) upon a person: The doctor enforced a strict dietary regimen.

to support (a demand, claim, etc.) by force: to enforce one's rights as a citizen.

to impress or urge (an argument, contention, etc.) forcibly; lay stress upon: He enforced his argument by adding details.

OTHER WORDS FOR enforce

1 administer, impose, execute, apply.

See synonyms for enforce on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of enforce

1275–1325; Middle English enforcen<Anglo-French enforcer,Old French enforcier, enforc(ir), equivalent to en-en-¹ + forci(e)r to force

OTHER WORDS FROM enforce

en·force·a·ble, adjectiveen·force·a·bil·i·ty, nounen·forc·ed·ly

[en-fawr-sid-lee, -fohr-], /ɛnˈfɔr sɪd li, -ˈfoʊr-/, adverben·forc·er, noun

en·forc·ive, adjectivehalf-en·forced, adjectivenon·en·force·a·ble, adjectivenon·en·forced, adjectivenon·en·for·ced·ly, adverbnon·en·forc·ing, adjectivepre·en·force, verb (used with object), pre·en·forced, pre·en·forc·ing.qua·si-en·forced, adjectiveun·en·force·a·bil·i·ty, nounun·en·force·a·ble, adjectiveun·en·forced, adjectiveun·en·forc·ed·ly, adverbwell-en·forced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use enforce in a sentence

Many sheriffs in the area have said they don’t plan on enforcing the law, either.
When states mandate masks, fewer people catch COVID-19||November 20, 2020|Popular-Science
Capacity limits in bars or mask requirements in stores can be enforced through fines and closures.
At dinner parties and game nights, casual American life is fueling the coronavirus surge|Karin Brulliard|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
Swipe them all, turn an event that normally signifies the arrival of spring into an appetizer for Thanksgiving, and the 2020 Masters will have an entirely unprecedented feel, a pandemic-enforced flavor and visuals all its own.
Masters golfers won’t see the blooms, but they will really miss hearing the roars|Barry Svrluga|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
But, of course, there’s a big difference between having a noise code and enforcing it.
Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears (Ep. 439)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 12, 2020|Freakonomics

E-commerce sales, which account for less than 5% of all retail sales in India, skyrocketed during the pandemic after New Delhi enforced a two-month nationwide lockdown.
Indian logistics startup Xpressbees raises $110 million|Manish Singh|November 9, 2020|TechCrunch
Rick Hasen, a professor at University of California, Irvine, dismissed the Mississippi statute as essentially unenforceable.
Mississippi GOP Plays Games With Black Votes|Ben Jacobs|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thus, a son worked for his father on his father's farm under an unenforceable contract with his uncle.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The document was plainly one-sided and would be regarded in an English court as against public policy and unenforceable.
The Foundations of Japan|J.W. Robertson Scott
The statute thus changed the common law wherein such contracts were merely unenforceable but not criminal.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 6|Various
It is generally held to be unenforceable if the insured suicided while insane.
Cyclopedia of Commerce, Accountancy, Business Administration, v. 3|Various
The Statute of Frauds does not invalidate a verbal guarantee, but renders it unenforceable by action.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for enforce

enforce

/ (ɪnˈfɔːs) /

verb (tr)

to ensure observance of or obedience to (a law, decision, etc)

to impose (obedience, loyalty, etc) by or as by force

to emphasize or reinforce (an argument, demand, etc)

Derived forms of enforce

enforceable, adjectiveenforceability, nounenforcedly (ɪnˈfɔːsɪdlɪ), adverbenforcement, noun

enforcer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

enforce

OTHER WORDS FOR enforce

Origin of enforce

OTHER WORDS FROM enforce

Words related to enforce

How to use enforce in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enforce

Derived forms of enforce