misenforce

misenforce

English

Etymology

mis- +‎ enforce

Verb

misenforce (third-person singular simple present misenforces, present participle misenforcing, simple past and past participle misenforced)

1. To enforce incorrectly.
   • 1864, Samuel Neil, “Forensic Eloquence”, in The British Controversialist and Literary Magazine, page 330:

     But exactly in proportion to his lofty estimate of law, when thus enforced and applied, he is indignant and jealous at any attempt to wrest or misenforce it:

   • 1935, The Commonwealth - Volumes 11-12, page 152:

     Few legislators dare run for office on a platform proposing a solution; they know they would be powerless to accomplish anything if elected; someone else would misenforce the law.

   • 1989, Jerry Markbreit, Born to Referee, page 122:

     If they see something I missed, or if I misenforce a penalty or become confused, I encourage them to question me or point out my mistake.

   • 2020, Family Guardian Fellowship, The Great IRS Hoax: Why We Don't Owe Income Tax, page 4-27:

     This “victim” of the public fool [I mean school] system is legally and socially illiterate and makes a good “sheep” who is easy for the District Attorney (D.A.) to boss around and who will ignorantly misenforce the tax code so that he will maximize the government's take from the institutionalized plunder and theft called the income tax.