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

An attack by Sudanese paramilitary forces on a stronghold of a Darfur tribal leader left at least 28 people dead, a doctors group said Tuesday, the latest in a devastating war with no resolution in sight. —ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026

Though this is a traditional Labour stronghold, the pollster and consultancy Electoral Calculus gives Reform a 59% chance of winning. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026

Over the past decade and a half, CJNG expanded from a regional criminal group into a global trafficking network operating across much of Mexico from its stronghold in Jalisco. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026

Davids picked up more rural constituents in Miami, Franklin, and Anderson counties during the last round of partisan redistricting in 2022, when state lawmakers drew Lawrence and northern Wyandotte County — both progressive strongholds — out of the 3rd Congressional District. —Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 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