reinforce

[ree-in-fawrs, -fohrs] /ˌri ɪnˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs/
verb (used with object), reinforced, reinforcing.
1.
to strengthen with some added piece, support, or material:
to reinforce a wall.
2.
to strengthen (a military force) with additional personnel, ships, or aircraft:
to reinforce a garrison.
3.
to strengthen; make more forcible or effective:
to reinforce efforts.
4.
to augment; increase:
to reinforce a supply.
5.
Psychology. to strengthen the probability of (a response to a given stimulus) by giving or withholding a reward.
noun
6.
something that reinforces.
7.
a metal band on the rear part of the bore of a gun, where the explosion occurs.
Also, reenforce, re-enforce.
Origin
1590-1600; re- + inforce, alteration of enforce
Related forms
reinforcer, noun
self-reinforcing, adjective
unreinforced, adjective
Examples from the web for reinforce
  • Violent resistance tends to reinforce that loyalty, while civil resistance undermines it.
  • Design and deliver training to clients to reinforce best practices and legal compliance.
  • They argue that isolated reforms do not work because of the way labour-market rigidities reinforce one another.
  • Thousands of volunteers and aid workers mobilized to reinforce levees and patrol for leaks in below-freezing temperatures.
  • New research finds that stem cells repair and reinforce brain cells in mice.
  • But thanks, it does reinforce how beautiful and magnificent our country is.
  • Shingled walls and crisp white trim reinforce the bungalow look.
  • Car makers use more metal to reinforce body structures.
  • Once the vibe is bad, it tends to reinforce itself as all the other students are made uncomfortable by the tense atmosphere.
  • Hapless efforts to rescue the floundering financial and property sectors only reinforce that feeling.
British Dictionary definitions for reinforce

reinforce

/ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs/
verb (transitive)
1.
to give added strength or support to
2.
to give added emphasis to; stress, support, or increase: his rudeness reinforced my determination
3.
to give added support to (a military force) by providing more men, supplies, etc
4.
(psychol) to reward an action or response of (a human or animal) so that it becomes more likely to occur again
Derived Forms
reinforcement, noun
Word Origin
C17: from obsolete renforce, from French renforcer; see re- + inforceenforce
Word Origin and History for reinforce
v.

c.1600, originally in military sense, from re- "again" + enforce (cf. re-enforce). Related: Reinforced; reinforcing.

reinforce in Medicine

reinforce re·in·force (rē'ĭn-fôrs')
v. re·in·forced, re·in·forc·ing, re·in·forc·es

  1. To give more force or effectiveness to something; strengthen.

  2. To reward an individual, especially an experimental subject, with a reinforcer subsequent to a desired response or performance.

  3. To stimulate a response by means of a reinforcer.