enforce

enforce, implement are comparable when they mean to put something into effect or operation.

Enforce is used chiefly in reference to laws or statutes. The term suggests the exercise of executive rather than legislative power or the use of the authority and the means given the magistrates and police to maintain order and security in the community

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blue laws more often ignored than enforced

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enforce traffic laws and regulations strictly

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But enforce is also used in reference to agreements, contracts, rights, and ends which have legal sanction or a legal character and require the compulsory powers of the government or of the courts to ensure their fulfillment or their protection in case of violation

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Congress, as incident to its power to authorize and enforce contracts for public works— Justice Holmes

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there was no legal process by which a citizen could enforce his rights against the state— Buchan

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Implement usually suggests reference to bills or acts which have been passed, proposals or projects which have been accepted, or policies which have been adopted and implies the performance of such acts as are necessary to carry them into effect or ensure their being put into operation

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proposed that any further medical aid to the aged be implemented by increased Social Security taxation

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he also urged that military equipment be given to the nations of western Europe to implement the Brussels pact— Current Biog.

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Analogous words: execute, fulfill, discharge, *perform: compel, constrain, oblige, *force

Antonyms: relax (discipline, rules, demands)

Contrasted words: ignore, forget, disregard, *neglect