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

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

“And that creates this really toxic reinforcement loop.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

Friday will be a reinforcement of that scout.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Sarah paid $15,000 to rip out the chain-link fence separating the Healing Arts center and Quirky, which had been cut into repeatedly, and replace it with 80 feet of reinforcement.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Surrounding rock that lacked this reinforcement gradually eroded away, leaving behind the web-like network visible today.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

In a nutshell, slot machines work on a principal called variable or intermittent reinforcement.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• aid