reinforce
verb
Simple meaning
To encourage through repeated stimulus.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reeihnfawrsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹiɪnˈfɔɹs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To strengthen, especially by addition or augmentation.
transitive
To encourage (a behavior or idea) through repeated stimulus.
transitive
To emphasize or review.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To strengthen, especially by addition or augmentation.
Used this way, reinforce is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use reinforce
- “He reinforced the concrete.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A military operation (often involving new supplies of men and materiel) to strengthen a military force or aid in the performance of its mission.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Concrete with metal and/or mesh added to provide extra support against stresses.
A stimulus that strengthens or weakens the behavior that produced it.
A reinforcing stimulus whose removal serves to decrease the likelihood of the response that produced it.
A reinforcing stimulus that serves to increase the likelihood of the response that produces it.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Related Learning
Guides that use this word in context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “reinforce” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.