rampart

noun

ram·​part ˈram-ˌpärt 

-pərt

1

: a protective barrier : bulwark

2

: a broad embankment raised as a fortification and usually surmounted by a parapet

3

: a wall-like ridge (as of rock fragments, earth, or debris)

Examples of rampart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Viral footage of an interaction between the couple surfaced on Friday night, when Clark approach McCaffery in the ramparts of Gainbridge Field House. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2025

The Little Red Book turned into a shiny Mastercard and the stone ramparts of the Great Wall into stacks of money. —Hazlitt, 16 July 2025

Nineteen rooms are scattered over six buildings and intricate maze-like ramparts. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023

In the past, the upper parts of the castle ramparts, walls, and communication trenches were used as hanging gardens, where people cultivated citrus trees, vineyards, and olive trees, useful in case of siege for the self-support of the inhabitants. —Elisabetta Tosi, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from ramparer to fortify, from re- + emparer to defend, from Old Occitan emparar, from Vulgar Latin *imparare, from Latin in- in- entry 2 + parare to prepare — more at pare

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rampart

• apart
• depart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart
• art

Kids Definition

rampart

noun

ram·​part ˈram-ˌpärt 

-pərt

: a broad bank or wall raised as a protective barrier

also : any barrier that provides protection