Phrase guide

law enforcement

noun · 3 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.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The task of ensuring obedience to the law.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • Law enforcement is the duty of police, sheriffs and other government officials.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The various government agencies, regarded collectively, involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • Another news report of law enforcement being corrupted–when does this end?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

ensuring obedience to the laws

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: enforcement

Narrower terms: vigilantism

History

Etymology

From law + enforcement.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: compliment de la llei — ensuring obedience to law
  • Catalan: aplicació de la llei — ensuring obedience to law
  • Chinese Mandarin: 執法 /执法 (zhífǎ) — ensuring obedience to law
  • Finnish: lain toimeenpano — ensuring obedience to law
  • Finnish: lainvalvonta — ensuring obedience to law
  • French: application de la loi — ensuring obedience to law
  • Galician: cumprimento da lei — ensuring obedience to law
  • Galician: aplicación da lei — ensuring obedience to law
  • Georgian: სამართალდაცვა (samartaldacva) — ensuring obedience to law
  • German: Rechtsdurchsetzung — ensuring obedience to law
  • German: Gesetzesvollzug — ensuring obedience to law
  • German: Gesetzesvollstreckung — ensuring obedience to law
  • Greek: επιβολή του νόμου (epivolí tou nómou) — ensuring obedience to law
  • Hungarian: rendfenntartás — ensuring obedience to law
  • Hungarian: bűnüldözés — ensuring obedience to law
  • Hungarian: törvények betartatása — ensuring obedience to law
  • Hungarian: büntetés-végrehajtás — ensuring obedience to law
  • Indonesian: penegakan hukum — ensuring obedience to law
  • Malay: penguatkuasaan undang-undang — ensuring obedience to law
  • Polish: egzekwowanie prawa — ensuring obedience to law
  • Portuguese: aplicação da lei — ensuring obedience to law
  • Portuguese: cumprimento da lei — ensuring obedience to law
  • Romanian: aplicare a legii — ensuring obedience to law
  • Russian: правопримене́ние (pravoprimenénije) — ensuring obedience to law
  • Spanish: cumplimiento de la ley — ensuring obedience to law
  • Spanish: aplicación de la ley — ensuring obedience to law
  • Spanish: enforzamiento legal — ensuring obedience to law
  • Armenian: իրավապահ մարմիններ (iravapah marminner) — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Azerbaijani: hüquq-mühafizə orqanları — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Chinese Mandarin: 執法部門 /执法部门 (zhífǎ bùmén) — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Finnish: toimeenpanoviranomainen — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • French: forces de l'ordre — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Georgian: კანონის გამტარებელი ორგანო (ḳanonis gamṭarebeli organo) — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Georgian: სამართალდამცავი ორგანო (samartaldamcavi organo) — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Georgian: სამართალდამცავი ხელისუფლება (samartaldamcavi xelisupleba) — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • German: Strafverfolgung — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • German: Gesetzesvollzug — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • German: Ordnungskräfte — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Hungarian: rendfenntartó szerv — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Hungarian: bűnüldöző szerv — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Hungarian: rendőri erők — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Hungarian: rendőrség — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Indonesian: penegakan hukum — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Italian: forze dell'ordine — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Malay: penguatkuasaan undang-undang — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Polish: służby porządkowe — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Portuguese: segurança — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Romanian: organ juridic — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Romanian: autoritate juridică — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Russian: правоохрани́тельные о́рганы (pravooxranítelʹnyje órgany) — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Spanish: fuerzas del orden — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Spanish: cuerpos policiales — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Spanish: cuerpos policíacos — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Spanish: cuerpos policiacos — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals
  • Ukrainian: правоохоро́нні о́ргани (pravooxorónni órhany) — various government agencies involved in the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals