citadel
noun
cit·a·del
ˈsi-tə-dᵊl 
-ˌdel
1
: a fortress that commands (see command entry 1 sense 2c) a city
2
: stronghold
… the nation's citadel of health research …—
Constance Holden
Constance Holdena citadel of higher education
Examples of citadel in a Sentence
We visited a medieval citadel in Italy.
a massive stone citadel continues to command the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia
Recent Examples on the Web
The area was once a citadel complex in the time of King Herod, who ruled from 37 to 5 B.C. after he was appointed king of Judea by the Romans.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The sprawling citadel — complete with towers, walls and barracks — was discovered at the Tel el-Kharouba archaeological site in the Sinai Peninsula, according to an Oct. 11 news release from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Others share the fear that a Trumpified Weiss is storming the citadel of objective journalism.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Lima, Peru Reuters — At least 900 tourists were stranded near Peru’s ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu on Tuesday, the country’s tourism minister said, after a passenger train service was suspended due to a protest.
—CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for citadel
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Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The sprawling citadel — complete with towers, walls and barracks — was discovered at the Tel el-Kharouba archaeological site in the Sinai Peninsula, according to an Oct. 11 news release from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Others share the fear that a Trumpified Weiss is storming the citadel of objective journalism.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Lima, Peru Reuters — At least 900 tourists were stranded near Peru’s ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu on Tuesday, the country’s tourism minister said, after a passenger train service was suspended due to a protest.
—CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for citadel
Cite this Entry
“Citadel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citadel. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
citadel
noun
cit·a·del
ˈsit-əd-ᵊl
-ə-ˌdel
1
: a fortress that sits high above a city
2
: a strong fortress
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