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
But kids, teachers and administrators alike admit it was rarely enforced − until this school year, when homeroom teachers started collecting students' phones to be returned at the end of the school day.
—
The Enquirer, 21 Apr. 2024
Conversely, a federal district judge in Idaho said the state couldn’t enforce the part of its ban that applied to emergency care when a patient’s health is at risk.
—USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for enforce 
The Enquirer, 21 Apr. 2024
Conversely, a federal district judge in Idaho said the state couldn’t enforce the part of its ban that applied to emergency care when a patient’s health is at risk.
—USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 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 4 May. 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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