reinforcement

English

Alternative forms

• re-enforcement, reenforcement, reënforcement

Etymology

From reinforce +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiːɪnˈfɔːsmənt/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiɪnˈfɔɹsmənt/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌɹiːɪnˈfoːsmənt/

Noun

reinforcement (countable and uncountable, plural reinforcements)

1. (uncountable) The act, process, or state of reinforcing or being reinforced.
   • 1976 February 14, Thom Willenbecher, “Gremlins Inside The Press”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 33, page 5:

     If a journalist speaks for herself, let her say so. If something is true of "a few" or "some" or "many" or, even, "most" of us, then let her say that. It may cost a few extra modifiers, but it will prevent the unconscionable reinforcement of the myth that we are all alike.

2. (countable) A thing that reinforces.

   There's a website that can be a good learning reinforcement.

3. (in the plural) Additional troops or materiel sent to support a military action.

   Send in the reinforcements!

4. (uncountable, behavioral psychology) The process whereby a behavior with desirable consequences comes to be repeated.
5. A small round white sticker placed around a punched hole in a piece of paper to prevent the binder's rings from tearing through the paper.

Derived terms

• negative reinforcement
• positive reinforcement
• primary reinforcement
• reinforcement learning
• ring reinforcement
• self-reinforcement
• vicarious reinforcement

Translations

act or state of reinforcing or being reinforced

• Armenian: ամրապնդում (hy) (amrapndum)
• Bulgarian: подсилване (bg) n (podsilvane), укрепване (bg) n (ukrepvane)
• Catalan: reforç (ca) m, reforçament m
• Danish: forstærkning c
• Finnish: vahvistaminen (fi)
• French: renfort (fr) m
• Galician: reforzo m, reforzamento (gl) m
• Georgian: გამაგრება (gamagreba), განმტკიცება (ganmṭḳiceba), გაძლიერება (gaʒliereba), შევსება (ševseba)
• German: Verstärkung (de) f
• Hungarian: megerősítés (hu), megerősödés (hu)
• Irish: athneartú m
• Macedonian: потсилу́вање n (potsilúvanje)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forsterkning m or f

  Nynorsk: forsterkning f

• Persian: تقویت (fa) (taqviyat)
• Polish: wzmocnienie (pl) n, wsparcie (pl) n
• Russian: укрепле́ние (ru) n (ukreplénije), усиле́ние (ru) n (usilénije)
• Spanish: refuerzo (es) m, reforzamiento m

thing that reinforces

• Bulgarian: подкрепа (bg) f (podkrepa)
• Catalan: reforç (ca)
• Danish: forstærkning c, støtte c
• Dutch: versterking (nl)
• Finnish: vahvike, lujike
• French: renfort (fr)
• Galician: reforzo m, reforzamento (gl) m
• German: Verstärkung (de) f
• Italian: rinforzo (it)
• Polish: wzmocnienie (pl) n, wsparcie (pl) n
• Portuguese: reforço (pt)
• Spanish: refuerzo (es), reforzamiento m
• Swedish: förstärkning (sv) c

in plural: additional troops or materiel sent to support a military action

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: օգնական ուժեր (ōgnakan užer)
• Bulgarian: подкрепление n (podkreplenie)
• Danish: forstærkning c, støtte
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: apuvoimat pl, vahvistukset pl
• French: renforts (fr) m pl
• Galician: reforzo m, reforzamento (gl) m
• Georgian: საჯარისო შენაერთის გაძლიერება (saǯariso šenaertis gaʒliereba), საჯარისო შენაერთის შევსება (saǯariso šenaertis ševseba), დამატებითი აღჭურვილობით მომარაგება (damaṭebiti aɣč̣urvilobit momarageba)
• German: Verstärkung (de) f
• Hungarian: utánpótlás (hu), segédcsapatok (hu) pl, megerősítő csapatok pl, erősítés (hu)
• Indonesian: bala bantuan (id)
• Japanese: 援兵 (ja) (えんぺい, enpei)
• Latin: supplēmentum n
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: засилу́вање n (zasilúvanje)
• Maori: ope whakahirihiri, whaitaua
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forsterkninger m or f pl

  Nynorsk: forsterkningar f pl

• Ottoman Turkish: امداد (imdad)
• Polish: posiłki (pl) pl
• Portuguese: reforços m pl
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: подкрепле́ние (ru) n (podkreplénije), пополне́ние (ru) n (popolnénije)
• Spanish: refuerzo (es) m, reforzamiento m
• Turkish: imdat (tr)
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

behavioral psychology: process whereby a behavior with desirable consequences comes to be repeated

• Bulgarian: утвърждение (bg) n (utvǎrždenie)
• Danish: forstærkning c
• Finnish: vahvistaminen (fi)
• German: Verstärkung (de) f
• Hungarian: megerősítés (hu)
• Portuguese: reforço (pt) m

See also

• punishment
• operant conditioning
• classical conditioning