reinforcement
noun
re·in·force·ment
ˌrē-ən-ˈfȯrs-mənt 
1
: the action of strengthening or encouraging something : the state of being reinforced
2
: something that strengthens or encourages something: such as
a
: an addition of troops, supplies, etc., that augments the strength of an army or other military force
—usually plural
About 8 a.m. Soviet tanks and armored personnel carriers containing reinforcements approached the gorge from the right flank.—
John Barron
John Barron
b
: something designed to provide additional strength (as in a weak area)
a bridge in need of steel reinforcements
c
: a response to someone's behavior that is intended to make that person more likely to behave that way again
positive/negative reinforcement
3
psychology
: the action of causing a subject to learn to give or to increase the frequency of a desired response that in classical conditioning involves the repeated presentation of an unconditioned stimulus (such as the sight of food) paired with a conditioned stimulus (such as the sound of a bell) and that in operant conditioning involves the use of a reward following a correct response or a punishment following an incorrect response
also
: the reward, punishment, or unconditioned stimulus used in reinforcement
Examples of reinforcement in a Sentence
“We're outnumbered! Call for reinforcements!”
We need to prevent enemy reinforcements from reaching the front line.
The bridge is in need of reinforcement.
You should encourage good behavior with positive reinforcement.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Mechanics Of Machine Learning Models AI models rely on clean data, semantic relationships and reinforcement.
—Don Dodds, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
For fashion psychologist Jennifer Heinen, the bandage dress revival can be both a reinforcement of traditional beauty standards and a subversion of them.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 11 July 2025
There is clearly still work to be done to upgrade this roster, and Canucks hockey operations leadership will surely spend the summer exploring their options and sifting through the free-agent bargain bin in search of further reinforcements.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Frustrations are mounting, and the reinforcements that will be brought in at the deadline can't get here soon enough.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for reinforcement
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Don Dodds, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
For fashion psychologist Jennifer Heinen, the bandage dress revival can be both a reinforcement of traditional beauty standards and a subversion of them.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 11 July 2025
There is clearly still work to be done to upgrade this roster, and Canucks hockey operations leadership will surely spend the summer exploring their options and sifting through the free-agent bargain bin in search of further reinforcements.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Frustrations are mounting, and the reinforcements that will be brought in at the deadline can't get here soon enough.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for reinforcement
Cite this Entry
“Reinforcement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reinforcement. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reinforcement
noun
re·in·force·ment
ˌrē-ən-ˈfōr-smənt
-ˈfȯr-
1
: the action of reinforcing : the state of being reinforced
2
: something that reinforces
Medical Definition
reinforcement
noun
re·in·force·ment
ˌrē-ən-ˈfōr-smənt, -ˈfȯr-
: the action of causing a subject (as a student or an experimental animal) to learn to give or to increase the frequency of a desired response that in classical conditioning involves the repeated presentation of an unconditioned stimulus (as the sight of food) paired with a conditioned stimulus (as the sound of a bell) and that in operant conditioning involves the use of a reward following a correct response or a punishment following an incorrect response
also
: the reward, punishment, or unconditioned stimulus used in reinforcement compare recruitment sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share