reinforce

Reinforce is a verb that means to strengthen or support something, making it more resistant to damage, stress, or failure. The action can be physical, mechanical, or metaphorical, and is used in a wide range of fields to indicate adding strength or support.

In construction and civil engineering, reinforcement involves embedding materials that improve strength and stability. Common examples include steel bars or mesh in concrete, fiber-reinforced polymers, and additional plates or braces to resist loads and collapse. Reinforcement can be internal, such as rebar, or external, such as structural bracing.

In materials science and manufacturing, reinforcement refers to a phase that enhances properties of a composite material. Examples include carbon or glass fibers embedded in a polymer matrix, or ceramic whiskers added to metals. The aim is to increase stiffness, strength, toughness, or wear resistance without a proportional increase in weight.

In psychology and behavioral sciences, reinforcement describes a consequence that increases the future probability of a behavior. Positive reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus; negative reinforcement removes an aversive one. Reinforcement is central to operant conditioning and can be delivered on various schedules, such as fixed or variable intervals.

In other domains, reinforce can mean to strengthen an argument, policy, or organization through additional evidence, resources, or support. The noun reinforcement is often used to refer to the process or the personnel or materials that provide this support, such as military reinforcements arriving to bolster a unit. In computing, reinforcement learning is a branch of artificial intelligence focused on training agents via rewards.