enforce the law
idiom
: to make sure that people obey the law
The job of the police is to enforce the law.
Examples of enforce the law in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The police are not trained to deal with mentally ill individuals; they are trained to enforce the law when someone calls 911.
—
Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 11 Oct. 2024
The Justice Department is wading into a legal dispute over the No Surprises Act, arguing that providers have the ability to sue for courts to enforce the law's arbitration decisions, Peter reports.
—Peter Sullivan, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
But the city has failed to enforce the law, leaving some lower-income Angelenos with nowhere to go amid a homelessness crisis.
—Robin Urevich, ProPublica, 31 July 2024
Then a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit allowed the state to enforce the law — before a full complement of judges on the same appeals court again blocked Idaho’s ability to punish emergency room doctors while the appeals continued.
—Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for enforce the law 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 11 Oct. 2024
The Justice Department is wading into a legal dispute over the No Surprises Act, arguing that providers have the ability to sue for courts to enforce the law's arbitration decisions, Peter reports.
—Peter Sullivan, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024
But the city has failed to enforce the law, leaving some lower-income Angelenos with nowhere to go amid a homelessness crisis.
—Robin Urevich, ProPublica, 31 July 2024
Then a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit allowed the state to enforce the law — before a full complement of judges on the same appeals court again blocked Idaho’s ability to punish emergency room doctors while the appeals continued.
—Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for enforce the law
Dictionary Entries Near enforce the law
Cite this Entry
“Enforce the law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enforce%20the%20law. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share