Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To give more force or effectiveness to; strengthen.
- transitive verb To strengthen (a military force) with additional personnel or equipment.
- transitive verb To strengthen by adding extra support or material.
- transitive verb To increase the number or amount of; augment.
- transitive verb To reward (an experimental subject, for example) with a reinforcer subsequent to a desired response or performance.
- transitive verb To encourage (a response) by means of a reinforcer.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun An additional thickness or support imparted to any part of an object in order to strengthen it.
- To add new force, strength, or weight to; strengthen: as, to
reinforce an argument. - Specifically Milit., to strengthen with additional military or naval forces, as troops, ships, etc.
- To strengthen any part, of an object by an additional thickness, support, or other means.
- To enforce; compel.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb See
reënforce , v. t. - noun See
reënforce , n.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
strengthen , especially byaddition oraugmentation . - verb transitive To
emphasize orreview . - verb transitive To
encourage a behavior or idea through repeated stimulus.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb strengthen and support with rewards
- verb make stronger
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Sure, if the message you want to reinforce is that working-class people are to be feared and loathed.
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What I am trying to reinforce is that we all have experiences in our lives.
January 2008 2008
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What I am trying to reinforce is that we all have experiences in our lives.
Are You Experienced? 2008
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When the calls reinforce a message that a candidate is carrying, then they're not always a bad investment.
Big News Orgs Picking Up On Magnitude Of McCain's Robo-Slime Campaign 2009
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WHITFIELD: And on one of the issues or two of the issues that you both initially received a lot of, I guess, flack for from some segments of the community, you mention reinforce the English words and stay away from rap.
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DAVID GRANGE (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, why don't we use the word reinforce what we have there in order to try to win this thing.
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These crude labels reinforce a sense of division that cuts off the great majority of Americans from their own non-special interests -- the desire to work at a job that affords a decent living; to live in a decent home and secure health care; to educate their children, take a vacation every now and again, and eventually retire.
Beyond Left, Right And Center: It's About Reality Peter S. Goodman 2011
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These crude labels reinforce a sense of division that cuts off the great majority of Americans from their own non-special interests -- the desire to work at a job that affords a decent living; to live in a decent home and secure health care; to educate their children, take a vacation every now and again, and eventually retire.
Beyond Left, Right And Center: It's About Reality Peter S. Goodman 2011
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These crude labels reinforce a sense of division that cuts off the great majority of Americans from their own non-special interests -- the desire to work at a job that affords a decent living; to live in a decent home and secure health care; to educate their children, take a vacation every now and again, and eventually retire.
Beyond Left, Right And Center: It's About Reality Peter S. Goodman 2011
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These crude labels reinforce a sense of division that cuts off the great majority of Americans from their own non-special interests -- the desire to work at a job that affords a decent living; to live in a decent home and secure health care; to educate their children, take a vacation every now and again, and eventually retire.
Beyond Left, Right And Center: It's About Reality Peter S. Goodman 2011
Prolagus commented on the word reinforce
Currently being trained for the 24th.
December 7, 2010