enact

1 of 2

verb

en·​act i-ˈnakt 

enacted; enacting; enacts

transitive verb

1

: to establish by legal and authoritative act

specifically : to make into law

enact a bill

2

: act out

enact a role

enactor

i-ˈnak-tər 

noun

enactor

2 of 2

noun

en·​ac·​tor -ktə(r) 

: one that enacts

the new laws … fulfilled the fondest hopes of their enactors

—Oscar Handlin

Synonyms of enact

Verb

• pass
• constitute
• legislate
• approve
• make

Examples of enact in a Sentence

Verb

Congress will enact legislation related to that issue.

The law was finally enacted today.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Universities started enacting trainings about consent and bystander intervention. — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

Twenty-seven other states separate biological males from females in K-12 sports, but all of those policies were enacted by state legislatures rather than approved by voters. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Chicago first enacted new laws and enforcement mechanisms in 2021 to address the problems, and then updated those laws in 2025. — CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026

Norway's government wants to get a handle on both the promise and peril of AI glasses, and is proposing that parliament enact a temporary ban on them in some places. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for enact

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact
• intact

Kids Definition

enact

verb

en·​act in-ˈakt 

1

: to make (as a bill) into law

enact legislation

2

: to act out

enact a scene from a play

enactor

-ˈak-tər 

noun

Legal Definition

enact

transitive verb

en·​act i-ˈnakt 

: to establish by legal and authoritative act : make into law

enact a bill