Definition of reinforce
transitive verb
1 : to strengthen by additional assistance, material, or support : make stronger or more pronounced reinforce levees reinforce the elbows of a jacket reinforce ideas
2 : to strengthen or increase by fresh additions reinforce our troops were reinforcing their pitching staff
3 : to stimulate (a subject, such as an experimental animal) by reinforcement (see reinforcement 3); also : to encourage (a response) by reinforcement
intransitive verb
: to seek or get reinforcements
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Examples of reinforce in a Sentence
The captain sent out another squad to reinforce the troops.
Our camp is reinforced with supplies flown in by helicopter.
The levees will need to be reinforced.
The bad weather forecast only reinforces our decision to leave early tomorrow.
Some critics say that the movie reinforces negative stereotypes about the military.
We do our best to reinforce good conduct in the classroom.
Recent Examples of reinforce from the Web
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Being in older buildings reinforces Emmett's heritage, Burns said.
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But from the moment of his selection, both coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey have gone out of their way to reinforce the fact that Alex Smith is the starter.
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The relatively minor move reinforces that Chinese authorities are currently prioritizing financial stability over openness, unwilling to let market forces exert too much sway over the price of their currency.
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A new slate of billboards and other outdoor advertising aim to reinforce activists’ stance on the President Trump agenda: resist.
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Even though alliance members expected Trump to make a spending pitch, critics said Trump appeared tone deaf by demanding countries spend more without also explicitly reinforcing the U.S. commitment to Article 5.
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AlphaGo’s victory on Thursday simply reinforced the progress and power of artificial intelligence to handle specific but highly complex tasks.
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The group has reinforced its clout with more than $1.5 million in campaign donations over the last four years.
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Murdoch said the city had been in contact with Tight Quarters, which planned to help reinforce the sandbag wall Thursday.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reinforce'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of reinforce
re- + inforce, alteration of enforce
First Known Use: 15th century
REINFORCE Defined for English Language Learners
reinforce
playDefinition of reinforce for English Language Learners
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: to strengthen (a group of people) with new supplies or more people
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: to strengthen (something, such as clothing or a building) by adding more material for support
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: to encourage or give support to (an idea, behavior, feeling, etc.)
REINFORCE Defined for Kids
reinforce
Definition of reinforce for Students
reinforced
;reinforcing
1 : to strengthen with new supplies or more people Another squad reinforced the troops.
2 : to strengthen by adding more material for support The wall needs to be reinforced.
Medical Dictionary
reinforce
playMedical Definition of reinforce
reinforced
;reinforcing
1: to strengthen by additional material or support : make stronger reinforced with vitamins
2: to stimulate (as an experimental animal or a student) by reinforcement; also : to encourage (a response) by reinforcement
Learn More about reinforce
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See words that rhyme with reinforce Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for reinforce Spanish Central: Translation of reinforce Nglish: Translation of reinforce for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of reinforce for Arabic speakers
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