To enact means to make something official by turning it into a law or rule. When Congress enacts a new law, it goes through all the votes and steps needed to make that idea become real and binding. State legislatures enact laws too, like when they enact a rule requiring all students to wear seatbelts on school buses.

The word comes from the idea of putting something into action. Before a law is enacted, it's just a proposal or suggestion that people debate. Once enacted, it has real power and people must follow it.

You might also hear people say that actors enact a scene when they perform it on stage, bringing the written script to life through their performance. In history class, you might enact a famous moment like the signing of the Declaration of Independence, acting it out to understand what happened.

The key idea is transformation: enacting changes something from an idea, plan, or script into something real and active. When your school enacts a new policy about recess, it stops being something the principal is considering and becomes a rule everyone follows.