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
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
Lionel TrillingExamples 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
In the first theory, archaeologists think the weapons fell in the lake during battles over the Lednica stronghold, likely during the 1030s, when Czech Duke Bretislaus invaded Poland.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
With a team of thousands under his command, Hassabis has redoubled the company’s efforts on large language models, OpenAI’s stronghold.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
The ambush is delivered courtesy of the Mangkwan Clan, a cult of kamikaze hedonists who rejected Eywa after a volcano reduced their corner of Pandora to ash, but the RDA is happy to seize on the chaos and launch their final attack on the Metkayina’s oceanic stronghold.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
The fighting has recently centered on Kodrofan, particularly since the RSF took control of el-Fasher, the military's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stronghold
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Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
With a team of thousands under his command, Hassabis has redoubled the company’s efforts on large language models, OpenAI’s stronghold.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
The ambush is delivered courtesy of the Mangkwan Clan, a cult of kamikaze hedonists who rejected Eywa after a volcano reduced their corner of Pandora to ash, but the RDA is happy to seize on the chaos and launch their final attack on the Metkayina’s oceanic stronghold.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
The fighting has recently centered on Kodrofan, particularly since the RSF took control of el-Fasher, the military's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stronghold
Cite this Entry
“Stronghold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stronghold. Accessed 24 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stronghold
noun
strong·hold
ˈstrȯŋ-ˌhōld
: fortress
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