reinforce
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re·in·force
also re-en·force or re·en·force (rē′ĭn-fôrs′)tr.v. re·in·forced, re·in·forc·ing, re·in·forc·es also re-en·forced or re-en·forc·ing or re-en·forc·es or re·en·forced or re·en·forc·ing or re·en·forc·es
1. To give more force or effectiveness to; strengthen: The news reinforced her hopes.
2. To strengthen (a military force) with additional personnel or equipment.
3. To strengthen by adding extra support or material.
4. To increase the number or amount of; augment.
5. Psychology
a. To reward (an experimental subject, for example) with a reinforcer subsequent to a desired response or performance.
b. To encourage (a response) by means of a reinforcer.
re′in·force′a·ble adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
reinforce
(ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs)vb (tr)
1. to give added strength or support to
2. to give added emphasis to; stress, support, or increase: his rudeness reinforced my determination.
3. (Military) to give added support to (a military force) by providing more men, supplies, etc
4. (Psychology) psychol to reward an action or response of (a human or animal) so that it becomes more likely to occur again
[C17: from obsolete renforce, from French renforcer; see re- + inforce enforce]
ˌreinˈforcement n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
re•in•force
or re•en•force
(ˌri ɪnˈfɔrs, -ˈfoʊrs)v.t. -forced, -forc•ing.
1. to strengthen with some added piece, support, or material: to reinforce a wall.
2. to make more forcible or effective: to reinforce efforts.
3. to augment; increase.
4. to strengthen (a military force) with additional personnel, ships, or aircraft.
5. to strengthen the probability of (a desired behavior) by giving or withholding a reward.
re`in•forc′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
reinforce
Past participle: reinforced
Gerund: reinforcing
| Imperative |
|---|
| reinforce |
| reinforce |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | reinforce - make stronger; "he reinforced the concrete" beef up, fortify, strengthen - make strong or stronger; "This exercise will strengthen your upper body"; "strengthen the relations between the two countries" buttress - reinforce with a buttress; "Buttress the church" line - reinforce with fabric; "lined books are more enduring" bolster, bolster up - support and strengthen; "bolster morale" mine - lay mines; "The Vietnamese mined Cambodia" |
| 2. | reinforce - strengthen and support with rewards; "Let's reinforce good behavior" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
reinforce
verb
1. consolidate, support, increase, further, encourage, promote, boost, sustain, foster, heighten, magnify, amplify, augment This sense of privilege tends to be reinforced by the outside world.
consolidate undermine, weaken, contradict
consolidate undermine, weaken, contradict
2. support, strengthen, fortify, toughen, stress, prop, supplement, emphasize, underline, harden, bolster, stiffen, shore up, buttress They had to reinforce the walls with exterior beams.
3. increase, extend, add to, strengthen, supplement, augment Troops and police have been reinforced.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
reinforce
verbTo make or become tight or tighter:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُقَوِّي، يَدْعَم ، يُعَزِّز
posílitzpevnit
forstærke
styrkja
nostiprinātpastiprināt
ojačitiokrepiti
güçlendirmektakviye etmek
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
reinforce
[ˌriːɪnˈfɔːrs] vt (= strengthen) [+ wall, structure] → renforcer
(= emphasize) [+ message, point] → renforcer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
reinforce
vt (lit, fig, Psych, Mil) → verstärken; concrete also → armieren (spec); sb’s demands, belief → stärken, stützen; evidence, statement → stützen, bestätigen; opinion → bestätigen; to reinforce somebody’s decision/determination → jdn in seiner Entscheidung/Absicht bestärken; to reinforce the message → der Botschaft (dat) → mehr Nachdruck verleihen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
reinforce
[ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs] vt (army, material, structure) → rinforzare (fig) (theory, belief) → rafforzareCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
reinforce
(riːinˈfoːs) verb to make stronger. I've reinforced the elbows of this jacket with leather patches; Extra troops will be sent to reinforce the army.
ˌreinˈforcement noun1. the act of reinforcing.
2. (in plural) men added to an army etc in order to strengthen it. As the enemy attacks increased, the general called for reinforcements.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
reinforce
v. reforzar; fortalecer.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
reinforce
vt reforzarEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.