1
as in to brace
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
Kelly fortified herself for the basketball tournament with a series of confidence-boosting exercises
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to strengthen
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force
he downed another granola bar to fortify himself for the rest of the bike ride
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3
as in to harden
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
bought lots of warm clothing to fortify ourselves against the cold
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fortify
On Thursday night, the Jets fortified their offensive line by selecting right tackle Armand Membou at No. 7 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
—
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
Iran is fortifying buried nuclear sites as talks with the U.S. continue, a report says.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2025
But all that has only fortified a character who went from hapless brother-in-law to inarguably the most evolved one of the bunch.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Because the people in charge didn’t pick the right players, and didn’t draft well enough with the leftover picks to fortify the roster.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortify
Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
Iran is fortifying buried nuclear sites as talks with the U.S. continue, a report says.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2025
But all that has only fortified a character who went from hapless brother-in-law to inarguably the most evolved one of the bunch.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Because the people in charge didn’t pick the right players, and didn’t draft well enough with the leftover picks to fortify the roster.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fortify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortify
Verb
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University centers are bracing to lose their funding, which could sever the pipeline of scientists and physicians who specialize in occupational health and environmental toxicology.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
2 May 2025
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In general, the health care and medical sector, including hospitals, is bracing for price increases and shortages from the tariffs.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2025
Verb
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The formula works on two fronts to create an optimal environment for hair growth while actively strengthening existing hair to decrease hair loss.—
Danielle Cohen,
Glamour,
2 May 2025
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Cress sprout extract filters pollution and strengthens your barrier, while wild butter ginger root extract helps block damaging, dark-spot-inducing free radicals.—
Sarah Han,
Allure,
2 May 2025
Verb
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As two upwardly mobile attorneys (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock) anxiously ready their neurotic Weimaraner, and an ecstatically happy gay couple (Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins) dote on their tiny Shih Tzu.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2025
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Rather than doing that, however, Musk and his engineers are readying refreshed, and cheaper, versions of the Y and 3, which went on sale in 2020 and 2017, respectively.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fortify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortify. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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