fortress

noun

for·​tress ˈfȯr-trəs 

: a fortified place : stronghold

especially : a large and permanent fortification sometimes including a town

fortresslike

ˈfȯr-trəs-līk 

adjective

Synonyms

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

Examples of fortress in a Sentence

the boys built a snow fortress and then challenged the neighborhood kids to an in-your-face snowball fight

Recent Examples on the Web

The Revolutionary Guards thrive on the image of Iran as a besieged fortress. —Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

Conquering Greenland and Panama and building a fortress with high tariffs won’t bring manufacturing back or create prosperity. —Ro Khanna, Twin Cities, 12 June 2025

The place feels like a fortress, with high stone walls painted in yellow hiding two villas, one for the day-to-day football operation and the other for administration. —Simon Hughes, New York Times, 11 June 2025

However, since coach Renée Slegers took charge of the team in October, Arsenal have increasingly turned the ground into a fortress, winning all eight of their home games in the WSL (six at the Emirates Stadium, two at Meadow Park), scoring 36 goals. —Asif Burhan, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English forteresse, from Anglo-French fortelesce, forteresse, from Medieval Latin fortalitia, from Latin fortis strong

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fortress

noun

for·​tress ˈfȯr-trəs 

: a fortified place