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 of fortress

• stronghold
• citadel
• fortification
• castle
• bastion
• fort

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

In 2018, the government sold the grounds to Beijing for nearly $350 million, setting up the more than five-acre site to become a physical fortress of Chinese state power in the West. —Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

What the White House presented on Friday as a hardheaded, realistic assessment of the geopolitical landscape more closely resembles France’s Maginot Line—a massive fortress built before World War II to stop a German attack that never came while failing to anticipate the one that did. —Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025

There are more than 50 aircraft to see including a B-17 flying fortress and a B-52 Stratofortress. —Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 6 Dec. 2025

Start exploring from the dungeons with sweeping ocean views at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, the city's vast colonial fortress. —Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 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