reinforcement

noun

re·in·force·ment | \ ˌrē-ən-ˈfȯrs-mənt

Definition of reinforcement

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

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

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about reinforcement

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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 Tigers have some rebuilding to do on that side of the ball, but recent history suggests reinforcements are ready. — Ralph D. Russo, chicagotribune.com, "Clemson is No. 1 in preseason AP Top 25 for the 1st time. Notre Dame is 9th, while Northwestern isn’t ranked.," 19 Aug. 2019 The Tigers have some rebuilding to do on that side of the ball, but recent history suggests reinforcements are ready. — Washington Post, "Another first for Clemson: No. 1 in AP preseason Top 25," 19 Aug. 2019 The Tigers have some rebuilding to do on that side of the ball, but recent history suggests reinforcements are ready. — Ralph D. Russo, BostonGlobe.com, "Clemson is No. 1 in AP preseason football poll," 19 Aug. 2019 The Tigers have some rebuilding to do on that side of the ball, but recent history suggests reinforcements are ready. — Ralph D. Russo, baltimoresun.com, "Clemson ranked preseason No. 1 in AP Top 25 college football poll," 19 Aug. 2019 The Tigers have some rebuilding to do on that side of the ball, but recent history suggests reinforcements are ready. — Ralph D. Russo, courant.com, "Another first for Clemson: No. 1 in AP preseason Top 25," 19 Aug. 2019 OpenAI mastered Dota 2 thanks to a mathematical technique called reinforcement learning, which allows machines to learn tasks by extreme trial and error. — New York Times, "With $1 Billion From Microsoft, an A.I. Lab Wants to Mimic the Brain," 22 July 2019 For this, the researchers chose a standard neural network trained through reinforcement learning. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Quake III Arena is the latest game to see AI top humans," 30 May 2019 The key insight was that by adding layers of reinforcement learning, the computer could pick up more complicated concepts. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "The case for taking AI seriously as a threat to humanity," 21 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reinforcement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for reinforcement

reinforcement

noun

English Language Learners Definition of reinforcement

: people and supplies that are sent to help or support an army, military force, etc.

: the act of strengthening or encouraging something

: a thing that strengthens or encourages something

See the full definition for reinforcement in the English Language Learners Dictionary

reinforcement

noun

re·in·force·ment | \ ˌrē-ən-ˈfȯr-smənt

Kids Definition of reinforcement

1 : people or things (as supplies) sent to help or support

2 : the act of making something stronger or able to last longer The bridge is in need of reinforcement.

reinforcement

noun

re·in·force·ment | \ ˌrē-ən-ˈfōr-smənt, -ˈfȯr-

Medical Definition of reinforcement

: 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

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reinforcement

Definition of reinforcement

Synonyms for reinforcement

Examples of reinforcement in a Sentence

First Known Use of reinforcement

English Language Learners Definition of reinforcement

Kids Definition of reinforcement

Medical Definition of reinforcement

reinforcement

Definition of reinforcement

Synonyms for reinforcement

Examples of reinforcement in a Sentence

First Known Use of reinforcement

English Language Learners Definition of reinforcement

Kids Definition of reinforcement

Medical Definition of reinforcement

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