reinforcement

American  

[ree-in-fawrs-muhnt, -fohrs-] / ˌri ɪnˈfɔrs mənt, -ˈfoʊrs- /

noun

• reinforcements
  plural

1. the act of reinforcing.

2. the state of being reinforced.

3. something that reinforces or strengthens.

4. Often reinforcements. an additional supply of personnel, ships, aircraft, etc., for a military force.

5. a system of steel bars, strands, wires, or mesh for absorbing the tensile and shearing stresses in concrete work.

6. Psychology.

   1. a procedure, as a reward or punishment, that alters a response to a stimulus.

   2. the act of reinforcing a response.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonreinforcement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reinforcements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reinforcement

First recorded in 1600–10; reinforce + -ment

Explanation

Reinforcement is a way to learn and remember things, like a student who repeats the facts he has studied for a test over and over, or the ways we praise children when they share their toys or say "please" and "thank you" — reinforcement of the good manners we want them to use. You’ll often hear the word reinforcement used in relation to a building or other structure that gets additional mechanical support, but the word can be used in a broader sense as well. In addition to strengthening walls, reinforcement can refer to the strengthening or propping up of an argument or a particular point of view. For example, if you show up in class every day and ask questions, that adds reinforcement to the notion that you’re a diligent student.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reinforcement reinforcements

“DeepMind from its very early days was focused on a very particular type of artificial intelligence, reinforcement learning,” Benjamin Lee, an engineering professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

This selective reinforcement produces a current that is concentrated into a particular direction rather than spreading evenly through the material.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Most of the birds have come from other zoos and private collections in the UK and Europe and have been highly trained through positive reinforcement to fly in shows.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Lawyer Giovanni Paolo Accinni, a member of his legal team, told Italian media Castellucci was nothing more than a "scapegoat" who in truth had "insisted that the pier reinforcement work be carried out".

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Norte Chico chiefdoms were almost certainly theocratic, though not brutally so; leaders induced followers to obey by a combination of ideology, charisma, and skillfully timed positive reinforcement.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

With Ibrahima Konate leaving for Real Madrid in the summer, Virgil van Dijk is Liverpool's only fit senior centre-back, making the need for reinforcements increasingly obvious.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

"We got reinforcements from the armed forces and the Special Task Force commandos to restore order and send the inmates back to their cells," Medawatte told reporters outside the prison.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Experts familiar with Morocco's security apparatus expressed puzzlement at the absence of reinforcements from the police or the powerful military, even as migrants began pouring into Fnideq at the start of the week.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country was seeking reinforcements from across the continent to help battle the blaze, including Canadair aircraft from Croatia and Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

I mentioned to a policeman that I thought he needed reinforcements but he merely shrugged.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• aid