fortification

noun

for·​ti·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌfȯr-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: an act or process of fortifying

2

: something that fortifies, defends, or strengthens

especially : works erected to defend a place or position

Did you know?

In the Middle Ages, many European cities were entirely enclosed by sturdy walls, with walkways along the top and towers at intervals, designed to make an invasion impossible. A water-filled ditch, or moat, might run alongside the wall for added defense. Such defenses turned the entire city into a fort, or fortress. Over the centuries, fortifications changed steadily with the development of new weaponry. In World War II, the German fortification of the French coast included antitank barriers, bunkers, minefields, and underwater obstacles, but it wasn't enough to turn back the immense force of the Allied invasion on D-day.

Synonyms

• bastion
• castle
• citadel
• fastness
• fort
• fortress
• hold
• redoubt
• stronghold

Examples of fortification in a Sentence

They began the fortification and reconstruction of the city.

defenders at the border fortifications preparing for an attack

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, as the weather improves, some of the country’s allies — and even some Ukrainian defense officials — have voiced concerns about whether Russian forces might exploit weakness in Ukrainian fortifications and break through somewhere along the front lines. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024

Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inspects the fortification lines in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine earlier this month. —Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2024

Stretching from Egypt across the Sinai Peninsula and into the Gaza Strip, this strategic road was dotted with fortifications and military installations. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2024

The defensive lines only include larger fortifications, such as long anti-tank ditches, and do not include smaller defenses like infantry trenches. —Josh Holder, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024

Iron fortification is one of the best qualities of commercial cereals for babies. —Jennifer D'angelo Friedman, Parents, 1 Apr. 2024

The Tyger’s survivors created Garden Key’s first fortifications—over a century before the construction of Fort Jefferson. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024

Increasingly unafraid of Ukrainian howitzer batteries, Russian batteries have been massing, out in the open, for devastating salvos that level Ukrainian fortifications. —David Axe, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the construction of an extensive network of fortifications aimed at holding back Russian forces, signaling a switch to the defensive posture after a monthslong Ukrainian counteroffensive yielded only small gains. —Matthew Luxmoore, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fortification

noun

for·​ti·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌfȯrt-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

1

: the act of fortifying

2

: a construction built for defense