garrison

noun gar·ri·son \ ˈger-ə-sən , ˈga-rə- \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of garrison

1 :a military post; especially :a permanent military installation

2 :the troops stationed at a garrison

See garrison defined for English-language learners

See garrison defined for kids

Examples of garrison in a Sentence

a garrison of 5,000 men

Recent Examples of garrison from the Web

After a garrison of Army soldiers was overrun and massacred, a unit of Marines was dispatched in September 1902 to root out insurgents on the island of Samar on the central coast.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Trump said to study General Pershing. Here’s what the president got wrong.," 18 Aug. 2017
What’s more, bones recovered from the tombs suggest that the people buried were men, women, and children of different ages—indicating that the site was part of a city’s large cemetery, not a military garrison.

— michael greshko, National Geographic, "Three New Ancient Tombs Discovered in Egypt," 16 Aug. 2017
As for mentions on the show, back in Season 1, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch Jeor Mormont informed Jon Snow that Cotter Pyke—commander of the Eastwatch garrison—and his men found four wights in the snow near Eastwatch castle.

— chanel vargas, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything You Need to Know About Eastwatch on Game of Thrones," 9 Aug. 2017
Since the end of World War II, the military has been based at Yongsan, a garrison that had been the Imperial Japanese Army's main base during Japan's occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

— anna fifield, Alaska Dispatch News, "As North Korea intensifies missile program, U.S. opens $11 billion base in South Korea," 29 July 2017
At Tanf, a desert garrison for anti-ISIS forces along the Syria-Iraq border.

— colin h. kahl, New Republic, "Nuclear Summer," 14 July 2017
Al-Rashid's predecessor had ordered the building of a garrison town to protect the Abbasid dynasty from the Byzantine Empire.

— Bloomberg.com, "In Syria's Raqqa, Old City Wall a Testament to Glorious Days," 4 July 2017
Al-Rashid’s predecessor had ordered the building of a garrison town to protect the Abbasid dynasty from the Byzantine Empire.

— sarah el deeb, The Seattle Times, "In Syria’s Raqqa, Old City wall a testament to glorious days," 4 July 2017
On Friday morning, the Chinese president viewed a military parade of more than 3,100 troops from the People’s Liberation Army stationed at a garrison near Hong Kong’s border with China.

— thomas maresca, USA TODAY, "China’s Xi: No tolerance for subversion in Hong Kong," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'garrison.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of garrison

Middle English garisoun "wealth, gift, tribute, protection, fortified place, body of soldiers," borrowed from Anglo-French garisun "protection, cure, income, supplies," from garir "to support, protect, cure" (going back to Old Low Franconian *warjan "to defend, prevent," going back to Germanic *warjan-) + -isun, deverbal noun suffix, going back to Latin -ītiōn-, -ītiō, from -ī-, verb stem formative + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at weir

Note: The Middle English sense "fortified place, body of soldiers" reflects confusion with Middle English garnisoun and Anglo-French garnisun "fortified place, body of armed men stationed in such a place," from Anglo-French garnir "to give notice, equip, arm, fortify" (see ¹garnish) + the same suffix seen in garisun.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

garrison

verb

Definition of garrison

garrisoned; garrisoning play \ˈger-ə-s(ə-)niŋ, ˈga-rə-\

transitive verb

1 :to station troops in

2 a :to assign as a garrison

b :to occupy with troops

See garrison defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of garrison from the Web

Brennan’s version of Moscow is Vershinin (a charismatic Chiké Johnson), commander of the troops garrisoned in town and quixotic seeker – in a play filled with them, each one given texture by Brown’s excellent ensemble – for the meaning of existence.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Three Sisters' yearn for a better life, against the odds," 14 Aug. 2017
A fortress built between the 11th and 14th century helped the friars withstand pirates, Saracen attacks and occupation by Spanish raiders, until Louis XIV garrisoned the island in the 1600s.

— jennifer ladonne, CNN, "Cannes day trips: The island retreats of Îles de Lérins," 24 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of garrison

derivative of ¹garrison

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1569

See Words from the same year

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

Garrison

biographical name Gar·ri·son \ ˈger-ə-sən , ˈga-rə-sən \

Definition of Garrison

William Lloyd 1805–1879 American abolitionist

GARRISON Defined for English Language Learners

garrison

noun

Definition of garrison for English Language Learners

: a military camp, fort, or base
: a group of soldiers who are living at a garrison

garrison

verb

Definition of garrison for English Language Learners

: to send soldiers to (a place) in order to defend it
: to send (soldiers) to live in and defend a place

GARRISON Defined for Kids

garrison

noun gar·ri·son \ ˈger-ə-sən \

Definition of garrison for Students

1 :a military camp, fort, or base

2 :the soldiers stationed at a garrison

garrison

verb

Definition of garrison for Students

garrisoned; garrisoning

1 :to station troops in

The fort was only temporarily garrisoned.

2 :to send (troops) to live in and defend

It became necessay to garrison troops in the town.

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See words that rhyme with garrison Spanish Central: Translation of garrison Nglish: Translation of garrison for Spanish speakers

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garrison

Definition of garrison

Recent Examples of garrison from the Web

Origin and Etymology of garrison

Other Military Terms

Garrison

Definition of Garrison

GARRISON Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of garrison for English Language Learners

garrison

Definition of garrison for English Language Learners

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