verb (used with object), re·en·forced, re·en·forc·ing, noun
verb (used with object), re·in·forced, re·in·forc·ing.
- to strengthen with some added piece, support, or material: to reinforce a wall.
- to strengthen (a military force) with additional personnel, ships, or aircraft: to reinforce a garrison.
- to strengthen; make more forcible or effective: to reinforce efforts.
- to augment; increase: to reinforce a supply.
- Psychology. to strengthen the probability of (a response to a given stimulus) by giving or withholding a reward.
noun
- something that reinforces.
- a metal band on the rear part of the bore of a gun, where the explosion occurs.
verb (tr)
- to give added strength or support to
- to give added emphasis to; stress, support, or increasehis rudeness reinforced my determination
- to give added support to (a military force) by providing more men, supplies, etc
- psychol to reward an action or response of (a human or animal) so that it becomes more likely to occur again
c.1600, originally in military sense, from re- “again” + enforce (cf. re-enforce). Related: Reinforced; reinforcing.
v.
- To give more force or effectiveness to something; strengthen.
- To reward an individual, especially an experimental subject, with a reinforcer subsequent to a desired response or performance.
- To stimulate a response by means of a reinforcer.