reinforce
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to strengthen with some added piece, support, or material.
to reinforce a wall.
-
to strengthen (a military force) with additional personnel, ships, or aircraft.
to reinforce a garrison.
-
to strengthen; make more forcible or effective.
to reinforce efforts.
-
to augment; increase.
to reinforce a supply.
-
Psychology. to strengthen the probability of (a response to a given stimulus) by giving or withholding a reward.
noun
-
something that reinforces.
-
a metal band on the rear part of the bore of a gun, where the explosion occurs.
verb
-
to give added strength or support to
-
to give added emphasis to; stress, support, or increase
his rudeness reinforced my determination
-
to give added support to (a military force) by providing more men, supplies, etc
-
psychol to reward an action or response of (a human or animal) so that it becomes more likely to occur again
Other Word Forms
- reinforcement noun
- reinforcer noun
- self-reinforcing adjective
- unreinforced adjective
Etymology
Origin of reinforce
First recorded in 1590–1600; re- + inforce, alteration of enforce
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They also showed that eIF5A2 controls a distinct group of proteins compared to eIF5A1, reinforcing the idea that these two similar proteins carry out separate functions.
From Science Daily
“This reinforces gold’s role as a preferred hedge.”
That playbook isn’t likely to change, with policymakers likely to keep relying on targeted measures to channel resources into strategic industries and reinforce support for social services and consumption, said analysts at Julius Baer.
After years of elevated inflation, another price hike at the pump risks reinforcing the perception that price pressures are becoming entrenched.
From Barron's
Around 1,000 of those changes appeared across many different cell types, reinforcing the idea that common biological programs drive aging across the body.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
