enforce
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to put or keep in force; compel obedience to.
to enforce a rule; Traffic laws will be strictly enforced.
- Synonyms:
- apply, execute, impose, administer
-
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.
verb
-
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)
Other Word Forms
- enforceability noun
- enforceable adjective
- enforcedly adverb
- enforcement noun
- enforcer noun
- enforcive adjective
- half-enforced adjective
- nonenforceable adjective
- nonenforced adjective
- nonenforcedly adverb
- nonenforcing adjective
- preenforce verb (used with object)
- quasi-enforced adjective
- unenforceability noun
- unenforceable adjective
- unenforced adjective
- unenforcedly adverb
- well-enforced adjective
Etymology
Origin of enforce
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English enforcen, from Anglo-French enforcer, Old French enforcier, enforc(ir), from en- en- 1 + forci(e)r “to compel, strengthen” ( force )
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.
"Sanctions only matter if they are enforced. Today, we enforced them," Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, who is also Belgium's deputy prime minister, said on X.
From Barron's
While Vietnam's law is a regulatory milestone, analysts said its impact would depend on how the government enforces it and on what guidance it issues on implementation.
From Barron's
“The existing first sale program is heavily vetted, structured and enforced,” the group said.
"What matters now in Northern Ireland is action, designating MPAs is not the end but the starting place for ensuring our protected areas are properly managed, monitored and enforced."
From BBC
Ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said he was “very taken aback” by the rules being “not enforced and certainly just broken immediately.”
From Salon
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.
