fort

noun

ˈfȯrt 

1

: a strong or fortified place

especially : a fortified place occupied only by troops and surrounded with such works as a ditch, rampart, and parapet : fortification

2

: a permanent army post

—often used in place names

Synonyms of fort

• fortress
• stronghold
• fortification
• citadel
• castle
• bastion

Examples of fort in a Sentence

They captured the fort after a long battle.

a series of forts along the frontier

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, alliances with various European powers shifted and forts rose, then fell into piles of matchsticks. —Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026

University of Cambridge students discovered the remains last year during a training dig at the Wandlebury Iron Age hill fort. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026

Then photos and displays of Black achievement throughout military history that had been on view in forts and military installations were largely removed. —Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026

Today’s Craig Melvin, who was supposed to host Olympic Late Night, also did not end up making the trip to Italy in order to hold down the fort Stateside. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English forte, from Anglo-French fort, from fort, adjective, strong, from Latin fortis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fort

• hold down the fort
• hold the fort

Rhymes for fort

• bort
• corte
• court
• dort
• mort
• norte
• ort
• port
• porte
• quart
• short
• snort

Kids Definition

fort

noun

ˈfō(ə)rt 

ˈfȯ(ə)rt

1

: a strong or fortified place

2

: a permanent army post