Standard Lemma guide

enforcement

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfɔːsm(ə)nt/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɛn-/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ɪnˈfoɹsm(ə)nt/
  • General-American: /ɛn-/
  • CMU ARPABET: EH0 N F AO1 R S M AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of enforcing; compulsion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A giving force to; a putting in execution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

That which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the act of enforcing; ensuring observance of or obedience to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: social control

Narrower terms: coercion, execution, implementation, carrying out, imposition, infliction, law enforcement

History

Etymology

From Old French enforcement, see enforce + -ment.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: принуда (prinuda) — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Dutch: handhaving — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Esperanto: eldevigo — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Finnish: täytäntöönpano — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • German: Vollstreckung — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • German: Durchsetzung — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌰𐌲𐌲𐍅𐌴𐌹 (gaaggwei) — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Hindi: प्रवर्तन (pravartan) — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Hungarian: kényszerítés — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Hungarian: kikényszerítés — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Hungarian: kierőszakolás — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Indonesian: penegakan — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Italian: applicazione — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Italian: imposizione — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Italian: attuazione — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Italian: compimento — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Italian: esecuzione — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Italian: rispetto — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Macedonian: извршување (izvršuvanje) — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Malay: penguatkuasaan — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Portuguese: aplicação — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Portuguese: cumprimento — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Portuguese: coerção — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Portuguese: imposição — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Portuguese: observação — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Portuguese: execução — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Russian: принужде́ние (prinuždénije) — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Serbo-Croatian: про̀ведба — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Serbo-Croatian: pròvedba — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Spanish: compulsión — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Spanish: coerción — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Spanish: enforzamiento — act of enforcing; compulsion
  • Bulgarian: изпълнение (izpǎlnenie) — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Finnish: täytäntöönpano — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Finnish: toimeenpano — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • German: Vollstreckung — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • German: Durchsetzung — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Hungarian: végrehajtás — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Hungarian: érvényre juttatás — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Hungarian: érvényesítés — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Hungarian: betartatás — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Macedonian: извршување (izvršuvanje) — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Plautdietsch: Bedwinjunk — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Russian: осуществле́ние (osuščestvlénije) — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Russian: исполне́ние (ispolnénije) — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Serbo-Croatian: про̀ведба — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Serbo-Croatian: спро̀вођење — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Serbo-Croatian: pròvedba — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Serbo-Croatian: spròvođēnje — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Spanish: ejecución — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Spanish: aplicación — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Ottoman Turkish: تطبیق (tatbik) — giving force to; a putting in execution
  • Finnish: täytäntöönpano — that which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied
  • Finnish: toimeenpano — that which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied
  • Russian: правопримене́ние (pravoprimenénije) — that which enforces, constraints, gives force, authority, or effect to; constraint; force applied
Real reading context

enforcement in complete knowledge articles