reinforce
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.
something that reinforces.
a metal band on the rear part of the bore of a gun, where the explosion occurs.
Origin of reinforce
1- Also re·en·force, re-en·force [ree-uhn-fawrs, -fohrs] /ˌri ənˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs/ .
Other words from reinforce
- re·in·forc·er, noun
- self-re·in·forc·ing, adjective
- un·re·in·forced, adjective
Words Nearby reinforce
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use reinforce in a sentence
The numbers reinforce another article in the Post, in which cops confessed to “turning a blind eye” to minor crimes.
If anything, officer training and in-field policing methodologies reinforce those beliefs.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face? | Goldie Taylor | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNo precautions have been taken to reinforce the ceilings, which could collapse onto the statues.
But there are dozens of new gadgets that reinforce the idea that knowledge is power.
We need to reinforce the message that decision-making, the power of choices, is also important.
So the first question has been whether to reinforce Gaba Tepe from Helles or vice versa.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonIn 1807, however, he was called up to reinforce the Grand Army in time to take part in the decisive battle at Friedland.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonWith Lannes and Mortier sent to reinforce him, it was still more difficult to show patience.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonNapoleon's failure to reinforce Massna left the situation before Lisbon precarious.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte | William Milligan SloaneAnd would you like to reinforce one battalion, in case of attack, by another battalion?
The Doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade | Edward Lord Gleichen
British Dictionary definitions for reinforce
/ (ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs) /
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
Origin of reinforce
1Derived forms of reinforce
- reinforcement, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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