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
In 2023, Florida became the first state to pass a law restricting the use of phones during class in public schools, but allowed districts to enforce their own policies.
—
Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Trump declined to enforce it and has now granted four extensions to try to put a deal together.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2025
Many countries have sought to negotiate to remove or reduce the tariffs, some have made deals, while others have enforced counter tariffs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Western powers fear the Kremlin is increasingly testing NATO defenses, particularly with a series of recent drone incursions that prompted Poland to call for the military alliance to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
—semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enforce
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Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Trump declined to enforce it and has now granted four extensions to try to put a deal together.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2025
Many countries have sought to negotiate to remove or reduce the tariffs, some have made deals, while others have enforced counter tariffs.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Western powers fear the Kremlin is increasingly testing NATO defenses, particularly with a series of recent drone incursions that prompted Poland to call for the military alliance to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
—semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for enforce
Cite this Entry
“Enforce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce. Accessed 23 Sep. 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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