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
Relevance
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
Beyond the limestone façade, seven-and-a-half acres of historic gardens unfold within the city’s bastions, home to yoga classes in the summer.
—
William Jones, USA Today, 18 May 2026
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
William Jones, USA Today, 18 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastions
Noun
-
The defining moment of Hadi’s presidency came in 2014, when Houthi fighters swept south from their northern strongholds and captured Sanaa amid growing public anger over economic hardship and political instability.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
-
Israel has devastated Gaza in its campaign against Hamas and, in recent weeks, has targeted Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The trailers show that Eternia was once a vibrant alien-like world with multi-colored forests, massive mountains and fortresses with towering faces carved into their entrances.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Built as a Crusader castle around the 12th century on top of previous fortifications, it has also been used by Saladin’s Jerusalem army, Mamluks, Ottomans, the French and the Palestine Liberation Organization.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
-
French doors open to balconies with views across Chania toward the sea, and the citrus- and olive-filled garden is bound, in part, by the city’s ancient Venetian fortifications.—
Katie Silcox,
Vogue,
28 May 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
-
They were set in crumbling castles and moldering dungeons—that is, amid the rubble of a collapsing social order.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Today, the municipality doesn’t seem too eager to promote its affinity for the international language (its tourism office tends to focus more on local castles and caves), but Herzberg has achieved near-mythic status among some Esperantists.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
There are also old military forts and the scenic Dyce Head Lighthouse to explore.—
Kira Turnbull,
Travel + Leisure,
6 June 2026
-
Determined to assert their own vision of justice, Pontiac and others painted themselves for war, picked up their stockpiled arms, and attacked British forts, just two weeks after this hanging.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bastions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastions. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
