enforce
verb
en·force in-ˈfȯrs 
en-
enforced; enforcing; enforces
transitive verb
1
: to give force to : strengthen
2
: to urge with energy
enforce arguments
3
: constrain, compel
enforce obedience
4
obsolete : to effect or gain by force
5
: to carry out effectively
enforce laws
enforceability
in-ˌfȯr-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē
noun en-
enforceable
in-ˈfȯr-sə-bəl
adjective en-
enforcement
in-ˈfȯr-smənt
noun en-
Synonyms
- administer
- apply
- execute
- implement
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Police will be enforcing the parking ban. the duty of the police is to enforce the law
Recent Examples on the Web The law was temporarily blocked in May, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and attorney general Dana Nessel have since said the state will take no action to enforce the law. 
Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 Congress is putting pressure on Customs and other agencies to enforce the law, said Brandon Daniels, chief executive of Exiger LLC, a company that offers supply-chain risk management software. Richard Vanderford, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 Law enforcement officers are to enforce the law and maintain public trust while doing so. William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 26 Aug. 2022 Yet by creating a situation where there is now little ability to enforce the law, Senate Bill 357 is de facto legalization of street prostitution — a goal some organizations want. Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2022 Friday's order tells the state and county authorities to drop all attempts to enforce the 2009 state law and drop all mention of it from election literature. Doug Thompson, Arkansas Online, 22 Aug. 2022 The Court of Appeal, the nation’s highest court, declined to overturn Section 377A in February, ruling that the three men did not have legal standing because the government had pledged not to enforce the law. Richard C. Paddock, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2022 The Court of Appeal, the nation’s highest court, declined to overturn Section 377A in February, ruling that the three men did not have legal standing because the government had pledged not to enforce the law. New York Times, 21 Aug. 2022 Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd, would forbid Chicago police from helping enforce any law from another jurisdiction that would impede the city’s values of bodily autonomy, according to the text. Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2022 See More
Paige Mcglauflin, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 Congress is putting pressure on Customs and other agencies to enforce the law, said Brandon Daniels, chief executive of Exiger LLC, a company that offers supply-chain risk management software. Richard Vanderford, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 Law enforcement officers are to enforce the law and maintain public trust while doing so. William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 26 Aug. 2022 Yet by creating a situation where there is now little ability to enforce the law, Senate Bill 357 is de facto legalization of street prostitution — a goal some organizations want. Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2022 Friday's order tells the state and county authorities to drop all attempts to enforce the 2009 state law and drop all mention of it from election literature. Doug Thompson, Arkansas Online, 22 Aug. 2022 The Court of Appeal, the nation’s highest court, declined to overturn Section 377A in February, ruling that the three men did not have legal standing because the government had pledged not to enforce the law. Richard C. Paddock, BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2022 The Court of Appeal, the nation’s highest court, declined to overturn Section 377A in February, ruling that the three men did not have legal standing because the government had pledged not to enforce the law. New York Times, 21 Aug. 2022 Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd, would forbid Chicago police from helping enforce any law from another jurisdiction that would impede the city’s values of bodily autonomy, according to the text. Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 27 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French enforcer, from en- + force force
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing enforce
Kids Definition
enforce
verb
en·force in-ˈfȯrs
enforced; enforcing
1
: to make happen
He tried to enforce cooperation.
2
: to carry out or make effective
enforce a law
Legal Definition
enforce
transitive verb
en·force
enforced; enforcing
: to cause to take effect or to be fulfilled
enforcing the divorce decree
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation U.S. Constitution amend. XIX
U.S. Constitution amend. XIXenforcing
verb
as in implementing
to carry out effectively the duty of the police is to enforce the law Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- implementing
- applying
- executing
- administering
- fulfilling
- enacting
- upholding
- invoking
- prosecuting
- effecting
- observing
- rendering
- honoring
- effectuating
- citing
- bringing about
- promulgating
- legislating
- discharging
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ignoring
- disregarding
- neglecting