enforce a penalty

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "enforce a penalty" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to punishing someone for breaking a law, rule, agreement, or contract. For example: "The judge decided to enforce a penalty on the defendant for failing to pay their taxes on time."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

The police can give summonses to people who smoke or litter but, as the authorities concede, there is no way to enforce a penalty on someone about to board a plane back to, say, Cologne — and most summonses are ignored.

The New York Times

If the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority missed the deadline, the federal government would have the power to enforce a penalty and withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars from the cash-strapped agency.

The Washington Post

In all cases of penalty or punishment, it is contended, enforcement must depend upon the exertion of judicial power, either by civil or criminal process, since the distinction between judicial and administrative functions cannot be preserved consistently with the recognition of an administrative power to enforce a penalty without resort to judicial authority.

Cornell University

Crucially, however, Youn et al. do not enforce a penalty that enforces sparsity of parameters in their model, and the poorer performance of Youn et al. (2007) relative to D iscern may reflect the kind of overfitting that we observe in Table 1.

Bioinformatics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Enforcing a penalty for this type of behaviour, which could be paid to tenants, at a high enough rate that it could pay for setting up a new tenancy, would discourage blameless evictions.

The Guardian

For the most part, those methods have focused on increasing the discrimination by enforcing a penalty to maximize the discrimination between the decomposed bases of different classes.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Remember to be kind when you are enforcing a penalty.

WikiHow

The agency is expected to either take Mr. Falcone to trial or enforce a larger penalty.

The New York Times

The S.E.C.'s rejection of the settlement – a move that will prompt the agency to either enforce a tougher penalty or take Mr. Falcone to trial – suggested that its preliminary deal did not match the gravity of the crime.

The New York Times

Traffic cameras and handheld computers used by the traffic police cannot handle Arabic script, so a clamp sometimes becomes the only way to enforce a parking penalty or to assure that violators are brought to justice.

The New York Times

The head teacher has said the school will enforce a £60 penalty if pupils are late 10 times in one term.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "enforce a penalty", ensure that the context clearly establishes the rule or law being violated and the specific penalty being applied. Clarity in both elements strengthens the impact of the statement.

Common error

Avoid using "enforce a penalty" without specifying what the penalty consists of. Saying 'the rule will enforce a penalty' is weaker than 'the rule will enforce a $100 fine for late submissions'.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "enforce a penalty" functions as a verb phrase, indicating the action of implementing or applying a consequence for violating a rule or law. Ludwig examples show this phrase used in legal, regulatory, and contractual contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

67%

Science

17%

Academia

16%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "enforce a penalty" is a grammatically sound and professionally appropriate way to describe the act of implementing a consequence for violating a rule or law. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability. Although not exceptionally common, the phrase appears reliably in authoritative sources such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. When writing, ensure the context makes clear what rule is being violated and what the specific penalty entails. Alternatives like "impose a sanction" or "implement a punishment" can be used to add variety to your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

implement a punishment

Replaces "enforce" with "implement", focusing on the practical execution of a punishment.

impose a sanction

This alternative uses "sanction" instead of "penalty", implying a more formal or official punishment.

apply a sanction

Similar to 'impose a sanction', but with a slightly different verb that still conveys the idea of implementing a formal punishment.

administer punishment

Changes from a specific 'penalty' to the broader 'punishment', suggesting the carrying out of a prescribed consequence.

apply punitive measures

This alternative broadens the scope to include various forms of "punitive measures", not just penalties.

carry out a sentence

Specifically refers to fulfilling a judicial sentence, limiting the context to legal judgments.

execute a judgment

Similar to 'carry out a sentence', referring specifically to the execution of a legal judgment or order.

exact retribution

This option suggests a more vengeful or retaliatory application of consequences, shifting the tone from neutral enforcement to active payback.

mete out justice

This implies a fair and deserved application of consequences, introducing the concept of justice being served.

ensure compliance through penalties

This alternative shifts the focus to ensuring compliance as the main goal, with penalties as the means.

FAQs

What does it mean to "enforce a penalty"?

To "enforce a penalty" means to ensure that a punishment or consequence is applied when a rule, law, or agreement has been violated. It involves taking action to make sure the penalty is carried out.

How can I use "enforce a penalty" in a sentence?

You might say, "The regulatory body will "impose a penalty" for non-compliance," or "The contract stipulates that the company can "apply a penalty" if the project is not completed on time."

What are some synonyms for "enforce a penalty"?

Alternatives include "impose a sanction", "administer punishment", or "implement a punishment", each carrying slight nuances in formality and context.

Is there a difference between "enforce a penalty" and "apply a penalty"?

"Enforce a penalty" implies a more systematic or official action to ensure the penalty is executed, while "apply a penalty" simply refers to the act of imposing the penalty. The choice depends on the specific context and the level of formality required.