1
as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
Kelly fortified herself for the basketball tournament with a series of confidence-boosting exercises
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to strengthen
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
he downed another granola bar to fortify himself for the rest of the bike ride
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to harden
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
bought lots of warm clothing to fortify ourselves against the cold
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fortify
Some of this can be put down to the production; Kartel’s longtime collaborator and established hitmaker TJ Records conjures a palette more suited to the trebly ionosphere of Spotify streams than the groundshaking speaker stacks that once fortified dancehall’s earthly domain.
—
Edwin “stats” Houghton,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
And the White Sox, like most clubs, could stand to fortify their bullpen, too.
—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
For months, Mexican authorities have fortified security in an effort to offset concerns, following several days of violence that paralyzed World Cup host city Guadalajara in February.
—
ABC News,
10 June 2026
The question now is, how can humanity use this information to fortify the resilience of ecosystems after extreme events?
—
John Kominoski,
The Conversation,
10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortify
Edwin “stats” Houghton,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
And the White Sox, like most clubs, could stand to fortify their bullpen, too.
—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
For months, Mexican authorities have fortified security in an effort to offset concerns, following several days of violence that paralyzed World Cup host city Guadalajara in February.
—
ABC News,
10 June 2026
The question now is, how can humanity use this information to fortify the resilience of ecosystems after extreme events?
—
John Kominoski,
The Conversation,
10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortify
Verb
-
In the three years between Special and Bitch, Lizzo began bracing herself for a sharp decline in public interest by creating music that existed on the outskirts of what audiences came to know her for.
-
Now, as traders fear the bitcoin house of cards could be collapsing, the market is braced for the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation to cement an interest rate hike later this year.
Verb
-
Communicate early, and friendships strengthen naturally.
-
Practical choices now strengthen long-term confidence.
Verb
-
The goal ended up being the last kick of the game, as the referee blew for full-time right as the USA was readying to restart the match.
-
The new Meta frames arrive as Apple readies its own smart glasses, expected late next year.
Cite this Entry
“Fortify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortify. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
