enforcer

[ en-fawr-ser, -fohr- ]

noun

1. a person or thing that enforces.
2. the member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient.
3. a person, especially a public official, who enforces laws, regulations, rules, or the like.
4. Also called policeman. Ice Hockey. a physically intimidating or willingly belligerent player who is counted on to retaliate when rough tactics are used by the opposing team.

Word History and Origins

Origin of enforcer¹

First recorded in 1570–80; enforce + -er ¹

Example Sentences

He made his name in the organization as a brutal internal enforcer, rooting out suspected spies and collaborators with Israel.

From Los Angeles Times

The former gangland enforcer, who became a respected sculptor and novelist, has spoken about his experiences as part of a new BBC Scotland documentary telling the story of the 142-year-old jail, which is earmarked for closure.

From BBC

The idea that the sheriff is a gentle helper of damsels in distress, rather than some sort of code enforcer.

From Salon

A plaque outside the main entrance memorializes a women’s suffrage rally held there in 1915, although nowhere is there a mention of the Ku Klux Klan gathering held at the ballpark in 1924, or anything about the career of Bull Connor, who called white Barons games on the radio before he became the violent enforcer of Jim Crow segregation in Birmingham as the commissioner of public safety.

From New York Times

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green suggested on Instagram that “Indiana better go invest in an enforcer ... FAST!”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assassin
• executioner