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

• 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

Guests can access the trail, meditate with the resident Buddhist monk, go whitewater rafting on the Mo Chhu river, and visit the picturesque Punakha Dzong, a centuries-old fortress. —Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2025

What can any of us make of our momentary intimate lives in such an immense world, with equally immense unknowns, mysteries as great as death or the whale, as deep as love or the ocean, as sad and beautiful as a jellyfish torn and glistening in a small fortress of shore rock? —Natalie Diaz september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025

The Kremlin has succeeded in building a fortress economy, but one that is fortified against the future more than against the enemy. —Jeremy Shapiro, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025

Regardless of any tumult in the world, and in Minnesota specifically, the state fair has remained a fortress of nostalgia and folksy civic cheer. —Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 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