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
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Recent Examples of bastions
Climb the 900-odd steps (or cop out in a car) for a walk through its eight baroque bastions and some breathtaking views.
—
Helen Brown, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026
The surge in costs reflects a major shift for Chicago, known as one of the last bastions of big-city affordability.
—Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Israeli officials further compounded those fears Wednesday, with Avichay Adraee, Israel’s Arabic-language spokesman, accusing Hezbollah of moving beyond its traditional bastions of support in the southern suburbs of the capital and embedding itself in north Beirut and mixed neighborhoods.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Military engineers resorted to building lower, thicker ramparts, backed by earth, and sought to eliminate blind spots by building angular bastions — the aforementioned extrusions.
—Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
The first round brought mixed results for the party, which got re-elected in several cities but failed to make major wins beyond its southern and northern bastions.
—Reuters, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026
For its part, the M2 is seen by many as one of the last bastions of the M division’s original ethos.
—Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 18 Mar. 2026
City types of a certain age have been dismayed at the loss of one of the Square Mile’s bastions.
—Ian King, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Wikipedia is one of the last bastions of the early internet, but that original vision of a free online space has been clouded by the dominance of Big Tech platforms and the rise of generative AI chatbots trained on content scraped from the web.
—Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2026
Helen Brown, TheWeek, 30 Apr. 2026
The surge in costs reflects a major shift for Chicago, known as one of the last bastions of big-city affordability.
—Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Israeli officials further compounded those fears Wednesday, with Avichay Adraee, Israel’s Arabic-language spokesman, accusing Hezbollah of moving beyond its traditional bastions of support in the southern suburbs of the capital and embedding itself in north Beirut and mixed neighborhoods.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Military engineers resorted to building lower, thicker ramparts, backed by earth, and sought to eliminate blind spots by building angular bastions — the aforementioned extrusions.
—Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026
The first round brought mixed results for the party, which got re-elected in several cities but failed to make major wins beyond its southern and northern bastions.
—Reuters, NBC news, 22 Mar. 2026
For its part, the M2 is seen by many as one of the last bastions of the M division’s original ethos.
—Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 18 Mar. 2026
City types of a certain age have been dismayed at the loss of one of the Square Mile’s bastions.
—Ian King, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2026
Wikipedia is one of the last bastions of the early internet, but that original vision of a free online space has been clouded by the dominance of Big Tech platforms and the rise of generative AI chatbots trained on content scraped from the web.
—Arkansas Online, 18 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastions
Noun
-
Democratic voters in the party’s remaining strongholds in Broward and Palm Beach counties may also have to get used to something unfamiliar — being represented in Congress by a Republican.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
9 May 2026
-
This summer, both Boich and Dorfman talk of leveraging the FIFA World Cup, with plans for high-profile events with top soccer players from padel strongholds such as Spain, Argentina, and Italy.—
Robin Swithinbank,
Robb Report,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
And by the turn of the twenty-first century, most of those tiny bungalows had been replaced by sprawling estates—fortresses for the entertainment elite, where Oscar trophies adorned mantels and wealth guarded from disaster.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
Any pivot toward diplomacy that includes sanctions relief — whether proposed in Washington or Berlin — ignores the fundamental Machiavellian truth that a regime hated by its own people cannot be saved by its external fortresses, but it can be artificially sustained by foreign gold.—
Liram Koblentz-Stenzler,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Noun
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Covering the sarcophagus Yellow daffodils bloom beside wartime fortifications at the Chernobyl plant as workers in ordinary clothes, with badges and special permits, pass through the restricted zone.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The fortifications on the southern and western sides stretch 1,312 feet long, predating the 1st-century legionary camp for which Vindonissa is famous.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The story is a bit murkier than Manichaean talk of stormers and citadels.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Intelsat’s leadership rapidly green-lighted the campaign to set up internet citadels.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Torrent de Pareis gorge, clifftop castles and sea-facing ridgelines reward the climb.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 May 2026
-
So is touring the castles of Spain, or seeing the Arctic fjords in Greenland.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
In addition to exploring the forts and lighthouses, families can enjoy coastal trails, bird-watching, and stargazing.—
Dave Parfitt,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
-
Even populous British colonies like Virginia and Pennsylvania grew blurry on their western frontiers, where indistinct borders were protected by a few lonely forts.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bastions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastions. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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