reinforcement

American  

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

noun

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.

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Other Word Forms

• nonreinforcement noun

Etymology

Origin of reinforcement

First recorded in 1600–10; reinforce + -ment

Example Sentences

Messi appeared unharmed and made his way over to the other side of the pitch as security reinforcements arrived.

From BBC

He travels through his territory in a small convoy of armored vehicles with a team equipped to fight off aggressors until reinforcements arrive.

From The Wall Street Journal

T-glass is used in reinforcement layers under or around chips, and those layers help prevent the package from warping when processors heat up to around the boiling point of water.

From The Wall Street Journal

Justice Department officials have repeatedly sought reinforcements from other cities and government agencies, even temporarily assigning military lawyers to help deal with the crush.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company pioneered a technique called “reinforcement learning from AI feedback” to ensure that its models avoid harmful or unsafe answers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aid