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
The leaders’ reluctance came after last year’s election saw Republicans make notable gains in reliably blue bastions like New Jersey and New York, with some in the party blaming the shift on polarizing social issues embraced by the left.
—
Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
Two men who represent two different bastions of power — God and country — in Oklahoma are making sermons of a kind.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Instead, Tuttle suffered 10 rejections in a row, including hard passes from indie bastions like Sundance and SXSW.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Sports, one of the last bastions of bipartisan broadcast TV viewing, is apt to keep the network-station binary from completely dissolving.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025
Universities, once bastions of free thought, have too often become hostile breeding grounds for intolerance.
—Michael Curry, Oc Register, 15 Sep. 2025
Budapest, Hungary Cradled by the Danube’s curves, Budapest is a city where medieval bastions meet Ottoman bathhouses steaming beside Bauhaus blocks.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Republican president has repeatedly criticized both Washington and Chicago — Democratic bastions led by Black mayors — for out-of-control street crime, despite crime rates dropping in the two cities.
—Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
One of the last bastions of radical cinema was the independent Art Theatre Guild, which produced and distributed two films in 1970 that captured Japan’s own retreat from possible change toward aesthetic and political conservatism.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025
Two men who represent two different bastions of power — God and country — in Oklahoma are making sermons of a kind.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Instead, Tuttle suffered 10 rejections in a row, including hard passes from indie bastions like Sundance and SXSW.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Sports, one of the last bastions of bipartisan broadcast TV viewing, is apt to keep the network-station binary from completely dissolving.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025
Universities, once bastions of free thought, have too often become hostile breeding grounds for intolerance.
—Michael Curry, Oc Register, 15 Sep. 2025
Budapest, Hungary Cradled by the Danube’s curves, Budapest is a city where medieval bastions meet Ottoman bathhouses steaming beside Bauhaus blocks.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Republican president has repeatedly criticized both Washington and Chicago — Democratic bastions led by Black mayors — for out-of-control street crime, despite crime rates dropping in the two cities.
—Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
One of the last bastions of radical cinema was the independent Art Theatre Guild, which produced and distributed two films in 1970 that captured Japan’s own retreat from possible change toward aesthetic and political conservatism.
—Jake Cole, IndieWire, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastions
Noun
-
Maps are typically redrawn only once a decade after the census, and in California—as in several other Democratic strongholds—an independent commission oversees the process.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The move also highlights the Democratic Party’s internal reckoning over its ideological future, especially in urban strongholds like New York City.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Andermatt, Switzerland High in the Alps, where trains wind through snowbound passes and peaks rise like fortresses, Andermatt is one of Switzerland’s most dynamic winter destinations.—
Mark Ellwood,
AFAR Media,
7 Nov. 2025
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Such structures, including residences and fortresses, were created by religious authorities and noble families, according to the city’s tourism website.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The exercise also featured swarms of first-person-view (FPV) suicide drones launching precision strikes against mock enemy fortifications.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Like Gelamichael, the Ortiz family has constructed cement fortifications around the home for protection, the outlet reported.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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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
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After a precruise stay at the Ritz-Carlton Osaka, the itinerary includes private performances by Kodo taiko drummers and geishas, strolls among cherry blossoms and bonsai trees, and visits to castles and temples, such as the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto.—
Fran Golden,
AFAR Media,
6 Nov. 2025
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Concept art of the Disney/Fortnite video game interface released in 2024 looked like a theme park with multiple Disney castles at a gleaming central hub surrounded by at least eight islands populated with visual nods to familiar Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox brands, films and shows.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
It’s made of dense foam pieces, including a base, cushion and two triangle pillows, allowing kiddos to create forts and obstacle courses along with sturdy, comfortable seating.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
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When Columbus instructed settlers to build forts in large towns, Taínos attacked the settlers in large numbers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bastions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastions. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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