Enact

//ɪˈnækt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make (a bill) into law. transitive

    "The practical effect of the Government's new anti-strike bill on the rail disputes in Great Britain is awaited, after the legislation was enacted."

  2. 2
    act out; represent or perform as if in a play wordnet
  3. 3
    To act the part of; to play. transitive

    "I did enact Julius Caesar."

  4. 4
    order by virtue of superior authority; decree wordnet
  5. 5
    To do; to effect. transitive

    "The king enacts more wonders than a man."

Synonyms

All synonyms
act outordainaccomplishachieveactact a part

Example

More examples

"If it is not absolutely necessary to enact a law, it is absolutely necessary to not adopt a law."

Etymology

From Middle English enacten, from en-, from Old French en- (“to cause to be”), from Latin in- (“in”) and Old French acte (“perform, do”), from Latin actum, past participle of ago (“set in motion”).

More for "enact"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.