enforcement

noun

Simple meaning

The act of enforcing.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

ehnfawrsmuhnt

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ɛnˈfɔɹsmənt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

The act of enforcing; ensuring observance of or obedience to
The act of enforcing; compulsion.
That which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied.
A giving force to; a putting in execution.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The act of enforcing; ensuring observance of or obedience to

Used this way, enforcement is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use enforcement

“Law enforcement works to keep our neighborhoods safe and secure.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Enforces

law enforcementenforcement officer

Other combinations

code enforcementdrug enforcementenforcement agencyenforcement actionstrict enforcementenforcement personnel

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

enforcernounPerson or profession
One whose job it is to execute unpleasant tasks for a superior.
enforceableadjectiveDerived adjective
Capable of being enforced.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

drug enforcement agencynounCompound term
Federal agency responsible for enforcing laws and regulations governing narcotics and controlled substances.
european law enforcement organisationnounCompound term
Police organization for the European Union.
federal law enforcement training centernounCompound term
A center in the Department of Homeland Security that trains law enforcement professionals for more than seventy federal agencies.
financial crimes enforcement networknounCompound term
A law enforcement agency of the Treasury Department responsible for establishing and implementing policies to detect money laundering.
international law enforcement agencynounCompound term
An international administrative unit responsible for law enforcement.
law enforcementnounCompound term
Ensuring obedience to the laws.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.