stronghold

noun

strong·hold | \ ˈstrȯŋ-ˌhōld

Definition of stronghold

1 : a fortified place

2a : a place of security or survival one of the last strongholds of the ancient Gaelic language— George Holmes

b : a place dominated by a particular group or marked by a particular characteristic a Republican stronghold strongholds of snobbery— Lionel Trilling

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Examples of stronghold in a Sentence

The area is a Republican stronghold. The rebels retreated to their mountain stronghold. the last stronghold of the endangered deer

Recent Examples on the Web

While some of it feels jokey, another part of me suspects that the romantic notion of the gentleman thief, the huckster in a tuxedo, has found a stronghold in this place. — Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, "The Vault, San Francisco’s new Financial District blockbuster, comes up empty," 13 June 2019 But the race gave Texas Democrats across the nation hope that O'Rourke might finally be the one to start turning the tide in a state that has for the past 30 years consistently been a Republican stronghold. — Peter Dawson, Houston Chronicle, "Stephen Colbert asks Beto O'Rourke to drop White House bid, run for Senate seat in Texas," 13 June 2019 The event was one of several marking the anniversary of the pivotal WWII battle that allowed Allied forces to gain a stronghold in Europe, leading to the defeat of troops from Nazi Germany. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al.com, "D-Day 75th anniversary: See moving tribute as planes fly over Normandy, France," 6 June 2019 Failure, Muslim leaders say, could see die-hard fighters join extremist groups in the mountains and jungles, giving Islamic State another opportunity to establish a stronghold. — Jake Maxwell Watts, WSJ, "Muslims in the Philippines Emerge From the Fog of War to Vote on Self-Rule," 18 Jan. 2019 Earlier, supporters held an overnight prayer vigil outside Durban's High Court in KwaZulu-Natal, a stronghold for Zuma. — Robyn Dixon, latimes.com, "Former South African President Jacob Zuma tells crowd he's innocent after court appearance on corruption charges," 6 Apr. 2018 Alongside Satori, there were two other coveted strongholds for Mobile's hardcore scene. — Jared Boyd, AL.com, "Mobile brothers hope to return favorite teenage hangout to its former 'edgy' glory," 22 Mar. 2018 The relatively undisturbed nature of the mountain also provides a stronghold for some of San Diego’s rare plant and animal species. — Eric Jones, Ramona Sentinel, "Library art, photo exhibit explores great outdoors," 21 Feb. 2018 As ballot-counting continued, Democrats gained ground in two undecided House races in Orange County, California, raising the possibility of a Democratic sweep of four closely contested congressional races in the one-time Republican stronghold. — Michael R. Blood, The Seattle Times, "Democrat Harder upsets California GOP US Rep. Denham," 14 Nov. 2018

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