stronghold

noun

strong·​hold ˈstrȯŋ-ˌhōld 

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/Democratic stronghold

strongholds of snobbery

—Lionel Trilling

Synonyms of stronghold

• fortress
• bastion
• citadel
• fortification
• castle
• fort

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

Zone 18, the Barrio 18 gang’s stronghold, saw 126 homicides last year despite residents facing stigma for simply living there. —Sonia Pérez D, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026

Located an hour’s drive east of Zurich, the quiet region is steeped in Swiss tradition, nestled amid the Alpstein Mountains, famous for its distinct namesake cheese, and a stronghold for longstanding cultural moors (yodeling included). —Jackie Caradonio, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2026

Millennials are storming a Boomer political stronghold and hoping voters are ready to trade long resumes for fast legs. —Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026

Now, only small pockets of staghorn colonies remain farther north, including near Fort Lauderdale, where reefs around Port Everglades now represent one of the species’ last natural strongholds in the continental United States. —Teresa Tomassoni, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stronghold

• ahold
• behold
• billfold
• blindfold
• cajoled
• consoled
• controlled
• cotswold
• eightfold
• enfold
• enrolled
• extolled

Kids Definition

stronghold

noun

strong·​hold ˈstrȯŋ-ˌhōld 

: fortress