reinforce
Americanverb (used with object)
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reinforces,
present (3rd person singular)
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reinforced,
past participle, past
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reinforcing
present participle
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to strengthen with some added piece, support, or material.
to reinforce a wall.
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to strengthen (a military force) with additional personnel, ships, or aircraft.
to reinforce a garrison.
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to strengthen; make more forcible or effective.
to reinforce efforts.
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to augment; increase.
to reinforce a supply.
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Psychology. to strengthen the probability of (a response to a given stimulus) by giving or withholding a reward.
noun
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something that reinforces.
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a metal band on the rear part of the bore of a gun, where the explosion occurs.
verb
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to give added strength or support to
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to give added emphasis to; stress, support, or increase
his rudeness reinforced my determination
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to give added support to (a military force) by providing more men, supplies, etc
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psychol to reward an action or response of (a human or animal) so that it becomes more likely to occur again
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reinforcesimple
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reinforcessimple
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have reinforcedperfect
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has reinforcedperfect
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am reinforcingprogressive
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are reinforcingprogressive
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is reinforcingprogressive
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have been reinforcingperfect progressive
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has been reinforcingperfect progressive
Past
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reinforcedsimple
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had reinforcedperfect
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was reinforcingprogressive
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were reinforcingprogressive
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had been reinforcingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reinforce
First recorded in 1590–1600; re- + inforce, alteration of enforce
Explanation
To reinforce means to make stronger. You can reinforce your roof by putting some extra supports under it. Besides a physical structure, there are many things you can reinforce. If you want to reinforce a message, you can say it louder, rephrase and repeat it or give examples of what you expect. You use dog biscuits to reinforce certain behaviors in your dog. Bad experiences will reinforce your fears, good ones your hopes. And when military leaders reinforce their troops, they send additional soldiers to the front.
Vocabulary lists containing reinforce
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Dr Paul Moore says the new hub will reinforce the message that "your GP is there for you"
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Most programs included weekly sessions along with activities participants completed at home to reinforce what they had learned.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
Videos online showed armoured vehicles deployed to reinforce the neighbourhood near the airport.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
But it does reinforce the dilemma that they face.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
“I used seaweed to reinforce the walls on my lean-to,” Miss Montana chimed in.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Or, more realistically, a positive share-price reaction to Nvidia earnings reinforces investors’ faith in the robustness of the artificial-intelligence trade.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
“We are now moving towards an agreement that reinforces that Canadian advantage, including by securing the best terms in each of Canada’s most important strategic sectors and providing greater certainty about our future trading relationship.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Today’s agreement illustrates our belief that copyright is a cornerstone of the film and television industry – and reinforces our commitment to protect creative content,” said MPA Chairman and Chief Executive Charles Rivkin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Furthermore, the discovery reinforces Rio Grande do Sul’s status as one of the world’s most important regions for the study of Triassic fauna.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
The fact that the source of this expression predates Newton and was picked up by him for his own purposes only reinforces Faulkner’s compelling argument.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Even heading into deadline day, his omission from United's Premier League 2 game against Leicester on Monday reinforced a widespread belief he would leave, probably on loan.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
He tells clients in a note that the Australia-based pharmaceutical company has reinforced its competitive position as a major U.S. manufacturer of plasma-derived therapies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
"The therapeutic dose that was most consistently linked with improvements in blood pressure, inflammation and endothelial function was daily practice reinforced by weekly sessions over eight to 12-week periods," Hernandez said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
It hurt because it made him seem like a perennial candidate and reinforced Graham’s attacks on the five-term congressman as a career politician.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
They were dug deep into the ground in reinforced bunkers.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
At the same time, global yields are rising and reinforcing the move.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
The discoveries are also reinforcing the importance of the Lake Turkana region as one of the world's richest areas for studying human evolution.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
The tighter inventory also boosted full-price selling, reinforcing the company’s pullback on discounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"This is a clear example of how climate change is intensifying heat extremes, with heat and drought increasingly reinforcing one another," said Samantha Burgess from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates Copernicus.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
He didn't move into the turreted house on the hill, but took up lodging in the Club House, reinforcing his status as a temporary fixture.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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.
