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
The board will approve the release of grants to support local law enforcement in enforcing federal immigration laws.
—
Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
There's also bipartisan pressure to enforce nonprofit hospitals' responsibility to provide charity care in exchange for their no-tax status, and to more closely examine a drug-purchasing program that many such facilities can take advantage of to get steep discounts on pharmaceuticals.
—Maya Goldman, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
The judge in that case also temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the pause on government aid.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Feb. 2025
By the end of the millennium, the U.S. was practically alone among major Western nations in still enforcing capital punishment.
—Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for enforce 
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Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
There's also bipartisan pressure to enforce nonprofit hospitals' responsibility to provide charity care in exchange for their no-tax status, and to more closely examine a drug-purchasing program that many such facilities can take advantage of to get steep discounts on pharmaceuticals.
—Maya Goldman, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
The judge in that case also temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the pause on government aid.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 10 Feb. 2025
By the end of the millennium, the U.S. was practically alone among major Western nations in still enforcing capital punishment.
—Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for enforce
Dictionary Entries Near enforce
Cite this Entry
“Enforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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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