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
  • The work entails concrete parapet wall repair on the Yellow Mill Pond Bridge.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026
  • The horizontal orientation of the home’s large terraces (which are enclosed by parapets) recalls two of Wright’s prior residential architecture explorations.
    — Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 14 July 2026
Definition of parapet
Noun
  • The record there shows us a circle of 15-foot-high limestone walls with towers and ramparts on a verdant coastal plain, not a desert city of earth and clay.
    — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2026
  • Gaspare Fossati, the architect best known for restoring Hagia Sophia, renovated the building in the 1840s, while the remains of 13th-century Genoese ramparts still form part of the restaurant walls downstairs.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 1 July 2026
Definition of rampart
Noun
  • Each strand is like a beautiful clump of calligraphy all tangled up in itself, as captivating and lonely as any earthwork.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • Artist Stan Herd created a massive quarter-acre Algerian flag earthwork near the Lied Center on west campus.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
Definition of earthwork
Noun
  • Explore the island’s incredible fort and its tunnels and historically significant structures.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
  • Officials said the artifacts were safely returned to the fort after law enforcement completed its investigation.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 July 2026
Definition of fort
Noun
  • Now an Oda envoy and renowned strategist named Kanbei Kuroda (Masaki Suda) has come to Murashige’s fortress to convince him that resistance is futile.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
  • Someone or something keeps trying to break into the fortress-like building and find something.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026
Definition of fortress
Noun
  • The historic military fort overlooks the entrance to the Halifax Harbour and boasts old fortifications, historic artifacts, and unbeatable ocean views.
    — Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • That is, in part, because Ukraine has built additional lines of defense with fortifications and minefields.
    — Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 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
  • Rubio’s support for Israel is typical of Cuban-American politicians who see the country as a bulwark against communism.
    — Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
  • However, the ballot proposition process would increasingly serve the very forces that direct democracy was conceived as a bulwark against — those with the means to push their pet causes.
    — Mark Brilliant, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of bulwark

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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 Aug. 2026.

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