reinforce

English

Alternative forms

• re-enforce, reenforce

Etymology

From re- +‎ inforce.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiː.ɪnˈfɔːs/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌɹi.ɪnˈfɔɹs/

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiː.ɪnˈfoːs/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiː.ənˈfoːs/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)s
• Homophone: reenforce

Verb

reinforce (third-person singular simple present reinforces, present participle reinforcing, simple past and past participle reinforced)

2. (transitive) To strengthen, especially by addition or augmentation.

   He reinforced the handle with a metal rod and a bit of tape.

   • 1611, Iohn Speed [i.e., John Speed], “Harold the Second of that Name, the Sonne of Earle Goodwine, and Thirtie Eight Monarch of the Englishmen, […]”, in The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. […], London: […] William Hall and John Beale, for John Sudbury and George Humble, […], →OCLC, book VIII ([The Danes] […]), paragraph 38, page 407, column 1:

     [T]hey [the English] valiantly, and vvith the ſlaughter of many, put backe the enemy: vvhich vvas ſo farre from daunting the Normans, that by it they vvere more vvhetted to re-enforce themſelues vpon them: […]

3. (transitive) To emphasize or review.

   The right homework will reinforce and complement the lesson!

   • 2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 42:

     The accident was also one of several since Clapham [...] that demonstrated the role of breakable windows in the death toll. RSSB research would later confirm and reinforce the need for laminated glass to protect passengers and increase survivability.

4. (transitive) To encourage (a behavior or idea) through repeated stimulus.

   Advertising for fast food can reinforce unhealthy dietary tendencies.

Synonyms

• (strengthen): strengthen, augment, fortify, buttress, bolster, line
• (emphasize): emphasize, review, repeat
• (encourage): encourage, reward, instruct, teach, learn

Derived terms

• self-reinforce
• self-reinforcing

 

Translations

to strengthen by addition

Arabic: قَوَّى (qawwā) Bulgarian: подсилвам (bg) (podsilvam), укрепвам (bg) (ukrepvam) Catalan: reforçar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 加強／加强 (zh) (jiāqiáng) Dutch: versterken (nl), vergroten (nl), verhogen (nl) Finnish: vahvistaa (fi), tukea (fi) (structure, building) French: renforcer (fr) Galician: reforzar (gl) Georgian: გამყარება (gamq̇areba) German: verstärken (de), aussteifen, versteifen (de) Gothic: 𐍄𐌿𐌻𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (tulgjan) Greek: ενισχύω (el) (enischýo) Hebrew: חִזֵּק (he) (ẖizzéq) Hungarian: megerősít (hu), megszilárdít (hu), merevít (hu) Irish: neartaigh le, treisigh Italian: rinforzare (it) Japanese: 補強する (ja) (ほきょうする, hokyō suru), 加強 (ja) (kakyō) Korean: 보강하다 (bogang-hada) Latin: corrōborō Macedonian: по́тсили (pótsili), за́јакне (zájakne), по́ткрепи (pótkrepi) Maori: whakakaha, taunaki, whakamarohi Persian: تقویت کردن (taqviyat kardan) Portuguese: reforçar (pt) Russian: подкрепля́ть (ru) impf (podkrepljátʹ), подкрепи́ть (ru) pf (podkrepítʹ), укрепля́ть (ru) impf (ukrepljátʹ), укрепи́ть (ru) pf (ukrepítʹ) Spanish: reforzar (es) Swedish: förstärka (sv), armera (sv) Turkish: sağlamlaştırmak (tr), kuvvetlendirmek (tr), takviye etmek (tr), tahkim etmek (tr) (archaic), pekiştirmek (tr), berkitmek (tr)

to emphasize or review

Bulgarian: усилвам (bg) (usilvam) Chinese: Mandarin: 再次鼓励，再次强调 Dutch: benadrukken (nl) Finnish: vahvistaa (fi), tukea (fi) French: renforcer (fr) Galician: reforzar (gl) German: festigen (de) Hungarian: (please verify) átismétel (hu), (please verify) felfrissít (hu), (please verify) megszilárdít (hu) Italian: rafforzare (it), ribadire (it) Macedonian: за́цврсти (zácvrsti), за́сили (zásili) Maori: haukaha Portuguese: reforçar (pt) Russian: уси́ливать (ru) impf (usílivatʹ), уси́лить (ru) pf (usílitʹ) Spanish: reforzar (es) Turkish: pekiştirmek (tr)

to encourage

Finnish: kannustaa (fi), rohkaista (fi) German: bekräftigen (de), verstärken (de) Hungarian: erősít (hu), felerősít (hu), megerősít (hu), megszilárdít (hu) Italian: incoraggiare (it) Macedonian: по́ттикне (póttikne)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Irish: (please verify) athneartaigh

Anagrams

• confrerie