enforcer

English

Etymology

From enforce +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)sə(ɹ)

Noun

enforcer (plural enforcers)

1. One who enforces.
2. A hired strongman, especially working for the underworld.
   • 2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 117:

     At 199 centimetres and a hundred kilos going up, he was scary big and he found work as a bouncer and enforcer[.]

3. The member of a group, especially of a gang, charged with keeping dissident members obedient.
4. (UK) A battering ram used by the emergency services for gaining access to locked premises.
6. (ice hockey, rugby, Australian rules football) A player who physically intimidates or confronts the opposition.

   Synonym: policeman

Translations

one who enforces

• French: exécuteur (fr)

member of a group charged with keeping dissident members obedient

• French: homme de main (fr)
• Hungarian: verőember (hu)

ice hockey: player tasked with intimidating or confronting the opposition

Anagrams

• confrere, confrère, reconfer