reinforce
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
Facing mounting external pressure, Shein has sought to repair and reinforce relationships at home, marking a tactical shift from its previous strategy to distance itself from its Chinese roots.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
There would be no better opposition against whom to reinforce their improvement.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
"When I do the tour and they come in to visit the school, I do reinforce AI is not going to be able to take over our jobs," Cuesta said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Nothing like the World Cup’s unofficial pre-game soundtrack to reinforce this eternal, universal message.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
She sang again, trying to reinforce her grip.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
It also reinforces the independence of the central bank.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The result, she argues, is often self‑perpetuating - some fertility services don't include men, so men engage less, which reinforces the idea they are simply not interested.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
“This reinforces the view that intervention alone is insufficient to drive a sustained reversal lower,” they said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
“This order reinforces the well-established principle that local governments have the authority to decide how to use their personnel and resources,” Feldstein Soto said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
"The problem is we're both still alive. Which only reinforces the idea in your mind that you did the right thing," says Peeta.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
The tragic blaze has reinforced calls for authorities to strengthen fire safety standards and for proper training for staff, especially those in the nightlife industry.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Those columns might not have been properly reinforced to support additions to the top floors, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Many on Wall Street have long derided the retail crowd as “dumb money” — a reputation largely earned during the dot-com bubble, and reinforced during the 2021 meme-stock frenzy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
For Eala, beating Rybakina and sharing the court with Williams reinforced her place among the game’s elite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
It is easy to overlook, lying as it does in the shadow of a neighboring high-rise, which was then only a frame of reinforced concrete.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
In general, these moves by Rockstar might prove enormously successful, reinforcing some of these problematic trends.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
He also said he was shocked by the poor construction of the buildings, with plastic foam having been used as mortar filler between cement slabs and insufficient reinforcing steel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Crews scooped out a pair of tunnels, reinforcing walls as they advanced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
But, building on and reinforcing the lessons of Carpenter v.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
She drops a luchi forcefully onto a plate next to the stove, as if reinforcing her point.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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.
