enforced; enforcing; enforces
1
: to give force to : strengthen
2
: to urge with energy
enforce arguments
4
obsolete
: to effect or gain by force
5
: to carry out effectively
enforce laws
Examples of enforce in a Sentence
Police will be enforcing the parking ban.
the duty of the police is to enforce the law
Recent Examples on the Web
President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce a decision of the Supreme Court regarding the removal of Seminole Indians from Florida.
—
Kenneth S. Birnbaum, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2024
Johnny leads by his own specific instinctual code based on whim and personal values, which gets harder to enforce as the club grows, with veterans returning from Vietnam seeking camaraderie, and bringing back darker vices.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
Cell phone bans, however, are difficult to enforce, and the bathroom—a longtime location students have used to indulge in their vices—might become a contentious hotspot in the crackdown.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 June 2024
The holiday’s roots trace back to June 19, 1865, when U.S. troops led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger landed on the shores of Texas and began enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 19 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for enforce 
Kenneth S. Birnbaum, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2024
Johnny leads by his own specific instinctual code based on whim and personal values, which gets harder to enforce as the club grows, with veterans returning from Vietnam seeking camaraderie, and bringing back darker vices.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
Cell phone bans, however, are difficult to enforce, and the bathroom—a longtime location students have used to indulge in their vices—might become a contentious hotspot in the crackdown.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 June 2024
The holiday’s roots trace back to June 19, 1865, when U.S. troops led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger landed on the shores of Texas and began enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln two years earlier.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 19 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for enforce
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'enforce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near enforce
Cite this Entry
“Enforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
enforce
verb
en·force
in-ˈfō(ə)rs 
-ˈfȯ(ə)rs
1
: to bring about by force : compel
enforce obedience
2
: to carry out effectively
enforce the 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. XIXLove words? Need even more definitions?
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