as in fortress
a structure or place from which one can resist attack
defenders at the border fortifications preparing for an attack
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fortification
In September 2023, in the middle of the Northumberland night, a mechanic named Adam Carruthers cut down a sycamore tree more than a century old that stood in a gap along an especially picturesque section of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman fortification that runs across the narrowest part of England.
—
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Passmore’s magisterial, revisionist account of the Maginot Line—the network of French fortifications built in the 1920s and 1930s to stop a German invasion—challenges the conventional understanding of its role in World War II.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Ammunition, uniforms, and fortifications contribute to GDP but do not improve long-term welfare or capital formation.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 16 Dec. 2025
But Meier said that, at least on land, artillery will still have its place, especially against an entrenched defender with strong fortifications.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortification
Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Passmore’s magisterial, revisionist account of the Maginot Line—the network of French fortifications built in the 1920s and 1930s to stop a German invasion—challenges the conventional understanding of its role in World War II.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Ammunition, uniforms, and fortifications contribute to GDP but do not improve long-term welfare or capital formation.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 16 Dec. 2025
But Meier said that, at least on land, artillery will still have its place, especially against an entrenched defender with strong fortifications.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortification
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortification
Noun
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Those interested in the history of the fortress can learn more in the six different on-site museums.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Feb. 2026
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At the end of a winding valley road deep in the Purcell Mountains, Panorama Mountain Resort feels like a secret fortress of skiing.—
Brent Rose,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These losses have been particularly notable in historically Black strongholds like Bedford-Stuyvesant and Harlem.—
Naomi Jackson,
Curbed,
11 Feb. 2026
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But West Virginia is a proletarian locale that until not long ago was a Democratic stronghold.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Ray, by contrast, is a figure of intermittent but undeniable mirth—a citadel of physical perfection whose sublimity occasionally touches the ridiculous.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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The area was once a citadel complex in the time of King Herod, who ruled from 37 to 5 B.C. after he was appointed king of Judea by the Romans.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Texas is the bastion of common sense, law and order, and the land of unlimited opportunity.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
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Observing an actual Parisian rejecting butter—one of France’s holy trinity of dairy products, along with cheese and crème fraîche—was a window into the new wellness culture seeping into what might have been the world’s last bastion of free-flowing wine and glutinous bread.—
Hannah Seligson,
Vanity Fair,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Moreover, Austria offers, as mentioned, an exceptional variety of locations — from breathtaking Alpine landscapes to historic cities, stunning architecture both historical and contemporary, as well as castles and palaces.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
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In addition to castles, the Highlands is home to a veritable cornucopia of mythological creatures, the most famous being Nessie of course.—
Patti Nickell,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That left Martin and their teenage daughter Josie (Chloe East) to hold down the fort in her absence, while colleagues and board members were given only a vague explanation regarding her sudden hiatus.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
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The Royal African Company had acquired forts, ships, and the necessary infrastructure to traffic more than a hundred thousand people from one continent to another.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fortification.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortification. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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