Dictionary

enforcement en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ɛn-/ (General-American)
• /ɛn-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪnˈfoɹsm(ə)nt/ (General-American)
• /ɪnˈfɔːsm(ə)nt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Old French enforcement, see enforce + -ment.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) The act of enforcing; compulsion.
   • And as congressional Republicans were passing a very unpopular Trump agenda bill last month, Vice President JD Vance argued that its historic expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and new immigration enforcement provisions were so important that “everything else” was “immaterial.” 2025 July 13, Aaron Blake, “Trump’s mass deportation is backfiring”, in CNN, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2025:
   • [M]en lyued ſimplye and innocentlye without inforcement of lawes, without quarellinge Judges and libelles, contente onely to ſatiſfie nature, without further vexation for knowledge of thinges to come. 1555, Peter Martyr of Angleria [i.e., Peter Martyr d’Anghiera], “The Seconde Booke of the Fyrste Decade to Ascanius Phorcia [i.e., Ascanio Sforza], Vicounte Cardinall. &c.”, in Rycharde Eden [i.e., Richard Eden], transl., The Decades of the Newe Worlde or West India, […], London: […] [Rycharde Jug for] Guilhelmi Powell, →OCLC, 1st decade, folio 8, recto:
2. (uncountable, usually) A giving force to; a putting in execution.
3. (uncountable, usually) That which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied.

Forms

Deriveds

code enforcement · underenforcement · enforcement authority · overenforcement · law enforcement · nonenforcement · civil enforcement officer · debt enforcement · proenforcement · antienforcement · enforcement agent

Translations (51)

hi प्रवर्तन (act of enforcing; compulsion) · pt cumprimento (act of enforcing; compulsion) · sh про̀ведба (giving force to; a putting in execution) · sh про̀ведба (act of enforcing; compulsion) · hu érvényesítés (giving force to; a putting in execution) · mk извршување (giving force to; a putting in execution) · it rispetto (act of enforcing; compulsion) · pdt Bedwinjunk (giving force to; a putting in execution) · fi täytäntöönpano (act of enforcing; compulsion) · bg изпълнение (giving force to; a putting in execution) · eo eldevigo (act of enforcing; compulsion) · ru исполне́ние (giving force to; a putting in execution) · bg принуда (act of enforcing; compulsion) · it compimento (act of enforcing; compulsion) · fi täytäntöönpano (giving force to; a putting in execution) · it attuazione (act of enforcing; compulsion) · it imposizione (act of enforcing; compulsion) · hu érvényre juttatás (giving force to; a putting in execution) · ru осуществле́ние (giving force to; a putting in execution) · sh spròvođēnje (giving force to; a putting in execution) · ru принужде́ние (act of enforcing; compulsion) · ms penguatkuasaan (act of enforcing; compulsion) · de Vollstreckung (giving force to; a putting in execution) · pt execução (act of enforcing; compulsion) · hu kényszerítés (act of enforcing; compulsion) · hu kikényszerítés (act of enforcing; compulsion) · de Durchsetzung (giving force to; a putting in execution) · got 𐌲𐌰𐌰𐌲𐌲𐍅𐌴𐌹 (act of enforcing; compulsion) · mk извршување (act of enforcing; compulsion) · de Vollstreckung (act of enforcing; compulsion) · fi toimeenpano (that which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied) · hu kierőszakolás (act of enforcing; compulsion) · sh спро̀вођење (giving force to; a putting in execution) · it esecuzione (act of enforcing; compulsion) · nl handhaving (act of enforcing; compulsion) · es enforzamiento (act of enforcing; compulsion) · hu végrehajtás (giving force to; a putting in execution) · hu betartatás (giving force to; a putting in execution) · de Durchsetzung (act of enforcing; compulsion) · fi toimeenpano (giving force to; a putting in execution) · ru правопримене́ние (that which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied) · id penegakan (act of enforcing; compulsion) · pt aplicação (act of enforcing; compulsion) · pt observação (act of enforcing; compulsion) · fi täytäntöönpano (that which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied) · ota تطبیق (giving force to; a putting in execution) · sh pròvedba (giving force to; a putting in execution) · sh pròvedba (act of enforcing; compulsion) · it applicazione (act of enforcing; compulsion) · pt coerção (act of enforcing; compulsion) · pt imposição (act of enforcing; compulsion)