breastwork

noun

Definition of breastworknext
as in parapet

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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 breastwork More than a third of the 650-member force fell dead or wounded taking the Confederate breastworks. — Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 24 Mar. 2026 The infantrymen around him peeped painfully over the heap of dirt that substituted for a breastwork. — Literary Hub, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breastwork
  1. parapet
  2. rampart
  3. earthwork
  4. fort
  5. fortress
  6. fortification
  7. battlement
  8. bulwark
Noun
  • Speaking of Moscow, most of the institutions of the Russian government are surrounded by walls and parapets.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
  • All along the parapets, Ormund’s child soldiers are vomiting and pissing themselves.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of parapet
Noun
  • To the left and right are the high ramparts of Sleeping Bear Dunes, the distant wedge that is South Manitou Island and unbelievably blue water.
    — Mike Norton, Midwest Living, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Its towering, mostly unbroken face and narrow swimming pool suggested a rampart and a moat, but behind the concrete exterior, Caland eliminated every door save the guest bathroom.
    — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of rampart
Noun
  • Settlers there were finding thousands of ancient Native mounds and earthworks, some bafflingly large.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • As an earthwork with a wooden palisade, however, much less of Antonius’s wall has survived the ensuing millennia.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of earthwork
Noun
  • The temple is thought to have been erected sometime during the third century CE, when the nearby Kapersburg fort was established as part of Rome’s frontier in Germania.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Much of the stone used to construct Hadrian’s Wall and its forts and milecastles was recycled over the centuries, but the stone footings largely remain, as do the flanking ditches.
    — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of fort
Noun
  • 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
  • The legacy data center strategy relied on secrecy—unmarked, fortress-like facilities hidden behind high security fences with minimal community outreach.
    — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of fortress
Noun
  • It has been known since the 1970s for yielding Roman artifacts, but an organized investigation did not commence until 2017, when geophysical surveys exposed a first-century fortification there.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Pancho opposed the fortification of the town, although most of his siblings supported it.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of fortification
Noun
  • The flag flies high over the ancient battlements here, where more than 200 years of history send a proud chill.
    — Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2026
  • Athenry Castle Overlooking the Clarinbridge River in County Galway, 13th-century Athenry Castle still retains parts of its medieval walls, battlements, and decorative stone carvings.
    — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026
Definition of battlement
Noun
  • Yet the episode also offered evidence of how natural resources provide a bulwark against an adversarial White House.
    — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Prime Minister Mark Carney embraced making Canada the EU’s first associate member, casting deeper economic, security and political ties with Europe as a bulwark for sovereignty and open markets.
    — Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of bulwark

Browse Nearby Words

breasts
breastwork
breastworks
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Cite this Entry

“Breastwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breastwork. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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