# enforcement

Pronunciation: US say "in-FORS-muhnt" /ɪnˈfoɹsm(ə)nt/; UK say "in-FAWS-muhnt" /ɪnˈfɔːsm(ə)nt/

## Noun

1. The act of compelling obedience to a law, rule, or obligation; compulsion.
   - Simple: The act of making people obey a law or rule.
   - _Federal regulators stepped up enforcement of the new emissions standards last year._
   - _Critics say the agency announces ambitious rules but rarely follows through with enforcement._
2. The action of giving force or effect to something, such as a contract, judgment, or right; the carrying of a measure into execution.
   - Simple: The act of putting a decision, agreement, or plan into action.
   - _Enforcement of the arbitration award required a separate filing in federal court._
   - _The statute leaves enforcement of these consumer protections to private lawsuits._
3. Something that compels, constrains, or gives force, authority, or effect; constraint or applied force.
   - Simple: A power or pressure that makes someone do something or holds them back.
   - _Necessity proved stronger enforcement than any statute the council could have passed._
   - _Trade sanctions were the treaty's only real enforcement, and every signatory knew it._

## Origin

From Old French "enforcement," formed from "enforce" plus the suffix "-ment."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/enforcement (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).