stronghold

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noun strong·hold \ ˈstrȯŋ-ˌhōld \

Definition of stronghold

1 :a fortified place

2 a :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

See stronghold defined for English-language learners

See stronghold defined for kids

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 of stronghold from the Web

TAL AFAR, Iraq — Iraq’s military fully reclaimed this northern city from the Islamic State on Sunday in a rapid campaign that defied expectations that the extremist group would put up a fierce resistance in one of its last major strongholds.

— Washington Post, "Iraqi military reclaims city of Tal Afar after rapid Islamic State collapse," 27 Aug. 2017
A recent report by the EU’s Radicalisation Awareness Network found that as Islamic State is degraded in its one-time strongholds of Syria and Iraq, the number of terrorist fighters returning to Europe is set to increase.

— alan crawford, Bloomberg.com, "Balance of Power: Barcelona's Impact Stretches Far Beyond Spain," 18 Aug. 2017
The big swing states that Clinton lost in November—Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan—are strongholds of white, working-class voters, many of whom are mainline Protestants and Catholics.

— emma green, The Atlantic, "Hillary Wants to Preach," 6 Aug. 2017
Those conversations helped shape her book, which centers on a Syrian family that escapes an ISIS stronghold for Istanbul and then Greece.

— alexandra alter, New York Times, "Children’s Authors Take On the Refugee Crisis," 6 Aug. 2017
All of these states are traditional Democratic strongholds, but some send quite a few Republicans to Congress — votes that GOP leaders will need to overhaul taxes.

— Washington Post, "What’s next? Senate GOP scrambles after health care flop," 19 July 2017
Read More: Is this man starving the country or saving the nation? Voting lines in the opposition stronghold of Chacao began forming before dawn and there were reports of long lines in several parts of the city.

— cody weddle and jim wyss, miamiherald, "Long lines reported as Venezuelans head to polls amid struggle over constitution," 16 July 2017
ISIS has been driven from from its former stronghold, but the city is in ruin, and the scourge of Islamic terrorism persists in the region. ‘

— andrew doran, National Review, "Bulletin from Mosul — the Mission Is Still Far from Accomplished," 14 July 2017
LONDON -- Two American men have been killed fighting against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants as the terror group clings to its last urban stronghold, the terror group's de-facto capital city of Raqqa in Syria.

— CBS News, "2 Americans killed fighting ISIS near Raqqa," 12 July 2017

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.

First Known Use of stronghold

15th century

stronghold Synonyms

Synonyms

bastion, castle, citadel, fastness, fortification, fortress, hold, redoubt, fort

Related Words

battlement, breastwork, bulwark, earthwork, embattlement, parapet, rampart; bunker, dugout; blockhouse, garrison house; alcazar, casbah (also kasbah)

STRONGHOLD Defined for English Language Learners

stronghold

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noun

Definition of stronghold for English Language Learners

: an area where most people have the same beliefs, values, etc. : an area dominated by a particular group
: a protected place where the members of a military group stay and can defend themselves against attacks
: an area where a particular type of uncommon animal can still be found

STRONGHOLD Defined for Kids

stronghold

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noun strong·hold \ ˈstrȯŋ-ˌhōld \

Definition of stronghold for Students

:fortress

Learn More about stronghold

See words that rhyme with stronghold Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stronghold Spanish Central: Translation of stronghold Nglish: Translation of stronghold for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stronghold for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stronghold

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stronghold

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stronghold

Definition of stronghold for English Language Learners

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