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

"This is real nanotechnology, as we can manipulate matter at the nanoscale. It is also a critical development for functional textiles, as the scrolls could be incorporated as reinforcement materials in synthetic fibers."

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 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

They’re also convinced of their unorthodox methods, which hinge on reinforcement and reward.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

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 • Feb. 8, 2026

You will see by his letters what pains he is taking to invite a reinforcement, at all events, there, and to transplant the war to the Southern Colonies.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• aid