as in stronghold
a structure or place from which one can resist attack
the boys built a snow fortress and then challenged the neighborhood kids to an in-your-face snowball fight
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fortress
Portlaoise Prison, which is in the center of Ireland, is a nineteenth-century penitentiary built like a fortress—a one-star establishment, at best.
—
Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
The Louvre was built in the 12th century as a military fortress, and by the 14th century was used as a royal residence and art collection center.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
The Louvre originated as a late-12th-century fortress built to protect the French capital from English invasion.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
For them, local self-government has become a fortress, and the drawbridge is up.
—JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortress
Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
The Louvre was built in the 12th century as a military fortress, and by the 14th century was used as a royal residence and art collection center.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
The Louvre originated as a late-12th-century fortress built to protect the French capital from English invasion.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 20 Oct. 2025
For them, local self-government has become a fortress, and the drawbridge is up.
—JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortress
Noun
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During the dictatorships after World War II, the natural barrier of the Accursed Mountains was fortified, set about with land mines, and patrolled, effectively isolating the stronghold of Albania from the rest of the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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Jabalia camp, viewed as a Hamas stronghold and site of the beginning of the second intifada, followed this pattern and has now been completely destroyed by the Israeli army.—
Shelly Culbertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Others share the fear that a Trumpified Weiss is storming the citadel of objective journalism.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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The rest of the population lived as farmers outside the city, taking refuge inside a city citadel only in times of conflict.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Parts of those medieval fortifications can still be seen today in the museum’s lower levels.—
Barney Henderson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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Historians believe the castle featured living quarters and fortifications, plus courtyards, kitchens, houses and workshops.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The five-star hotel recently completed a massive renovation, bringing an even more regal feel to the lobby and other common areas, including a spectacular crystal chandelier that depicts a castle.—
Megan duBois,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
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After the pair inspected the guards on the lawn of the nearly 1,000-year-old castle, they were pictured chatting outdoors.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Roots in Humanism Founded in 1956 as a religious film week, Seminci evolved into Spain’s bastion of socially conscious cinema.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
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Benioff is the latest tech billionaire in the Bay Area, once a liberal bastion, to cozy up to Trump in the president’s second term.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Balau Nath to erect the fort under the condition that the shadow of the fort must never cover Nath’s home.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
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Dalton can hold the fort for a game, or two, as needed.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fortress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortress. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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