Thesaurus results for BASTIONS

bastions

noun

plural of bastion

as in strongholds

a structure or place from which one can resist attack the rebel army retreated to its bastion in the mountains to regroup

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bastions At the start of this election cycle, the notion that Democrats would seriously compete in such deep-red bastions as Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas would have seemed absurd. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 Democrats won several statewide races in places long considered GOP bastions, including races that were considered insurmountable even weeks ago. — Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026 So far in Orange County, one of the Florida’s few blue bastions, Democrats account for roughly half of the ballots cast. — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026 According to the Polish Armed Forces, the measures include the installation of Hesco bastions — wire and mesh structures filled with sand or gravel that are easy to set up as protective barriers — along with new observation and guard posts. — Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 The problem is, these companies act much more like private enterprises than bastions of science. — Matthew Sun, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026 Perhaps because the Venice Biennale remains one of the few bastions in the world defending freedom of expression, regardless of geographical origin or nationality. — John Bleasdale, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026 The property’s infinity pool is one of its defining features, offering sweeping views across the surrounding bastions and historic landscape. — Corein Carter, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Magyar, whose party ousted Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party after 16 years in power in an April election, has started to overhaul Orban’s key bastions of power, including the state media. — CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastions

Noun

Their statement comes as roughly 2,500 Salvadoran soldiers deployed by President Nayib Bukele join the fight against armed groups in Haiti, and a separate drone task force intensifies attacks on their strongholds.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
Republican Senator Dan Sullivan clawed back ground on Democrat Mary Peltola in the tight Alaska Senate race on Wednesday but suffered a setback in one of the state's GOP strongholds.

— Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of strongholds

Noun

The history of castles is, of course, also filled with gruesome details, and some of the most famous fortresses served as prisons and sites of torture and execution.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
The structures include monasteries and fortresses that showcase the reign of the Lombards, who played a major role in the development of medieval European Christianity.

— Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of fortresses

Noun

During the Nazi occupation of France, Germany began building the Atlantic Wall, a series of defensive fortifications stretching along the coast from Spain to Norway.

— Shahnaz Bashir, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026
Houses were rebuilt over the remains of earlier houses, incorporating old walls and materials into new construction; basilicas became churches and churches became mosques; obsolete city walls and fortifications became boulevards and promenades.

— Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of fortifications

Noun

Joe cut his teeth by working his way up the ranks; also maybe by hanging around a lot when dad Jack Buck broadcast for years from most of the sacred citadels of sports.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
And yet Trump wants to turn the White House and an outpost on the Potomac into similar citadels, with little regard for why America’s capital city was named for one of its greatest examples of unadorned republican virtue.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of citadels

Noun

The production team scouted 16 castles all across Europe before selecting Schleissheim Palace, just outside of Munich, Germany, as its main location.

— Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2026
So, rather than castles and stony ramparts, visitors encounter farms and sleepy villages.

— Rick Steves, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of castles

Noun

Jones examines the role America has played in the broader history of castles, from early fortifications to Civil War-era forts.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Black public figures mingle with slave forts and the most vaunted creations of high art.

— Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of forts

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bastion

bastions

bat

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“Bastions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastions. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of bastions

noun

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