"enforcer" meaning in English

See enforcer in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ɪnˈfɔːsə/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav Forms: enforcers [plural]
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)sə(ɹ) Etymology: From enforce + -er. Etymology templates: {{suffix|en|enforce|er|id2=agent noun}} enforce + -er Head templates: {{en-noun}} enforcer (plural enforcers)
  1. One who enforces. Translations (one who enforces): exécuteur (French)
    Sense id: en-enforcer-en-noun-hPoZVS5y Categories (other): People Disambiguation of People: 56 0 0 0 44 Disambiguation of 'one who enforces': 82 2 2 6 9
  2. A hired strongman, especially working for the underworld.
    Sense id: en-enforcer-en-noun-J3GW-nTk
  3. The member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient. Translations (member of a group charged with keeping dissident members obedient): homme de main (French), verőember (Hungarian)
    Sense id: en-enforcer-en-noun-sU8PGvHQ Disambiguation of 'member of a group charged with keeping dissident members obedient': 4 2 86 5 2
  4. (UK) A battering ram used by the emergency services for gaining access to locked premises. Tags: UK
    Sense id: en-enforcer-en-noun-4UK-Nl80 Categories (other): British English, English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun), Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with French translations, Terms with Hungarian translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 24 14 9 34 20 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun): 25 13 10 36 16 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 26 14 11 35 14 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 29 7 10 38 16 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 26 14 9 37 14 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 22 18 9 34 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 19 14 10 37 20
  5. (ice hockey, rugby, Australian rules football) A player who physically intimidates or confronts the opposition. Synonyms: policeman
    Sense id: en-enforcer-en-noun-en:hockey Categories (other): Australian rules football, Ice hockey, Rugby Topics: ball-games, games, hobbies, ice-hockey, lifestyle, rugby, skating, sports
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: law-enforcer

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "law-enforcer"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enforce",
        "3": "er",
        "id2": "agent noun"
      },
      "expansion": "enforce + -er",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From enforce + -er.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "enforcers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "enforcer (plural enforcers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "56 0 0 0 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One who enforces."
      ],
      "id": "en-enforcer-en-noun-hPoZVS5y",
      "links": [
        [
          "enforce",
          "enforce"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "82 2 2 6 9",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "one who enforces",
          "word": "exécuteur"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              101,
              109
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 117:",
          "text": "At 199 centimetres and a hundred kilos going up, he was scary big and he found work as a bouncer and enforcer[.]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A hired strongman, especially working for the underworld."
      ],
      "id": "en-enforcer-en-noun-J3GW-nTk",
      "links": [
        [
          "hired",
          "hired"
        ],
        [
          "strongman",
          "strongman"
        ],
        [
          "underworld",
          "underworld"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient."
      ],
      "id": "en-enforcer-en-noun-sU8PGvHQ",
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "4 2 86 5 2",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "member of a group charged with keeping dissident members obedient",
          "word": "homme de main"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 2 86 5 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "lang_code": "hu",
          "sense": "member of a group charged with keeping dissident members obedient",
          "word": "verőember"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 14 9 34 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 13 10 36 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 14 11 35 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 7 10 38 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 14 9 37 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 18 9 34 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 14 10 37 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A battering ram used by the emergency services for gaining access to locked premises."
      ],
      "id": "en-enforcer-en-noun-4UK-Nl80",
      "links": [
        [
          "battering ram",
          "battering ram"
        ],
        [
          "emergency service",
          "emergency service"
        ],
        [
          "premises",
          "premises"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK) A battering ram used by the emergency services for gaining access to locked premises."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Australian rules football",
          "orig": "en:Australian rules football",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Ice hockey",
          "orig": "en:Ice hockey",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Rugby",
          "orig": "en:Rugby",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A player who physically intimidates or confronts the opposition."
      ],
      "id": "en-enforcer-en-noun-en:hockey",
      "links": [
        [
          "ice hockey",
          "ice hockey"
        ],
        [
          "rugby",
          "rugby"
        ],
        [
          "Australian rules football",
          "Australian rules football"
        ],
        [
          "intimidate",
          "intimidate"
        ],
        [
          "confront",
          "confront"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "Australian rules football",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(ice hockey, rugby, Australian rules football) A player who physically intimidates or confronts the opposition."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:hockey"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "policeman"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "ball-games",
        "games",
        "hobbies",
        "ice-hockey",
        "lifestyle",
        "rugby",
        "skating",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪnˈfɔːsə/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/27/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/27/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɔː(ɹ)sə(ɹ)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "enforcer"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English agent nouns",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms suffixed with -er (agent noun)",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɔː(ɹ)sə(ɹ)",
    "Rhymes:English/ɔː(ɹ)sə(ɹ)/3 syllables",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "law-enforcer"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enforce",
        "3": "er",
        "id2": "agent noun"
      },
      "expansion": "enforce + -er",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From enforce + -er.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "enforcers",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "enforcer (plural enforcers)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "One who enforces."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "enforce",
          "enforce"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              101,
              109
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 117:",
          "text": "At 199 centimetres and a hundred kilos going up, he was scary big and he found work as a bouncer and enforcer[.]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A hired strongman, especially working for the underworld."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hired",
          "hired"
        ],
        [
          "strongman",
          "strongman"
        ],
        [
          "underworld",
          "underworld"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A battering ram used by the emergency services for gaining access to locked premises."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "battering ram",
          "battering ram"
        ],
        [
          "emergency service",
          "emergency service"
        ],
        [
          "premises",
          "premises"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK) A battering ram used by the emergency services for gaining access to locked premises."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Australian rules football",
        "en:Ice hockey",
        "en:Rugby"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A player who physically intimidates or confronts the opposition."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ice hockey",
          "ice hockey"
        ],
        [
          "rugby",
          "rugby"
        ],
        [
          "Australian rules football",
          "Australian rules football"
        ],
        [
          "intimidate",
          "intimidate"
        ],
        [
          "confront",
          "confront"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "Australian rules football",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(ice hockey, rugby, Australian rules football) A player who physically intimidates or confronts the opposition."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:hockey"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "policeman"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "ball-games",
        "games",
        "hobbies",
        "ice-hockey",
        "lifestyle",
        "rugby",
        "skating",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɪnˈfɔːsə/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/27/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/27/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-enforcer.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɔː(ɹ)sə(ɹ)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "one who enforces",
      "word": "exécuteur"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "member of a group charged with keeping dissident members obedient",
      "word": "homme de main"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "lang_code": "hu",
      "sense": "member of a group charged with keeping dissident members obedient",
      "word": "verőember"
    }
  ],
  "word": "enforcer"
}

Download raw JSONL data for enforcer meaning in English (3.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.