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
-
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:
"You can use the excuse that the soil is the problem but then you should have known that and you need to make sure that you reinforce it more," Verstappen said.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The researchers say their results reinforce the idea that exercise sessions do not need to be lengthy to produce meaningful benefits.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
The bank says the rules will reinforce pricing power in Europe and possibly provide some modest improvement in market share across the largest European manufacturers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Vietnam said the agreement showed the parties' resolve to "reinforce the rules-based trading system amid continued volatility in the global economy", according to a government statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
If not, T can play clips from other songs or have them sing other short songs to reinforce the concepts of major and minor.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
September’s core consumer price index reading of 2.57% year-over-year reinforces Morgan Stanley’s emphasis on quality.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
For now, the research reinforces the importance of exercise while revealing that its benefits depend on an intricate network of molecular processes inside muscle cells.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Last, it reinforces that he probably does have plans for after the midterms.
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026
"The exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices and vulnerable supply routes reinforces the need to move faster on renewable energy, storage and electrification," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
She reinforces her force field with intent and bares her teeth.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“That did not help remove that mistrust. It reinforced that mistrust.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Other research has reinforced the idea that exercise remains valuable even when physical performance inevitably declines with age.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
“This just reinforced the fact that the Fed has more work to do,” Rehling at Wells Fargo said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"I already had concerns, but there's absolutely no doubt that your report reinforced these concerns."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
On the rare occasions when he rode a green horse, he used a custom-made, reinforced saddle and slip-proof girth.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Under Mao, scores of Han Chinese were dispatched to the region, reinforcing Beijing’s authority while also building a buffer with Soviet states in Central Asia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Through a series of experiments, researchers discovered that DT-109 disrupts this damaging cycle by improving the intestinal environment and reinforcing the gut's protective barrier.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
The government meanwhile welcomed the polling date announcements as an "important stage ... towards reinforcing the country's democratic system".
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Cortez blamed the city for not taking any permanent or lasting measures to prevent the ocean from spilling into the streets, such as putting in place a concrete barrier or reinforcing the seawall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
Lourdes fears that the boy is reinforcing Enrique’s sense of abandonment.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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