fortress

noun

for·​tress ˈfȯr-trəs How to pronounce fortress (audio)
: a fortified place : stronghold
especially : a large and permanent fortification sometimes including a town
fortresslike adjective

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 Fans can also step into the iconic Castle Grayskull fortress from Masters of the Universe and show off their competitive side with a game of laser tag. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 More than 90 percent of Kosovars are ethnically Albanian, and most are Muslim—as becomes clear looking out from the fortress above the city of Prizren, over a skyline dotted with some 40 minarets. Naomi Tomky, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2024 Apple is opening small cracks in the iPhone's digital fortress as part of a regulatory clampdown in Europe that is striving to give consumers more choices — at the risk of creating new avenues for hackers to steal personal and financial information stored on the devices. Michael Liedtke, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 Learn to craft weapons, armor, tools and more along with creating an impenetrable fortress. The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 This fortress was constructed in 1361 by the Sienese and its many nearby side streets are worth taking the time to get lost in. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 From fortresses to ornate palaces, these medieval-style structures are worth traveling for. Steven Casale, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2024 Hunyadi achieved that through a mix of military innovation – including the use of artillery and firearms – the foresight of fortifying Belgrade’s fortress at his own cost, inspired tactics and improvisation. John Hopewell, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024 It’s located above Ibiza Town inside a magnificent ancient fortress with Renaissance town walls, cobbled stone streets and tight alleyways. Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fortress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fortress was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fortress

Cite this Entry

“Fortress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fortress. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fortress

noun
for·​tress ˈfȯr-trəs How to pronounce fortress (audio)
: a fortified place

More from Merriam-Webster on fortress

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!