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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
What this week provided was a savvy path to fortify one last Super Bowl push for those high-cost veterans decorating the offense.
—
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
His wife, Julie, at his side, McMahon was also fortified by two pints of Guinness stout.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The two sides seem to have reconciled without hard feelings, and the Raiders have fortified an average defense this week and appear to have a solid plan on offense.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Analysts noted similar activity occurred before last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer strikes, suggesting a pattern of fortifying critical facilities in anticipation of attacks.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortify
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
His wife, Julie, at his side, McMahon was also fortified by two pints of Guinness stout.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The two sides seem to have reconciled without hard feelings, and the Raiders have fortified an average defense this week and appear to have a solid plan on offense.
—Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Analysts noted similar activity occurred before last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer strikes, suggesting a pattern of fortifying critical facilities in anticipation of attacks.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortify
Verb
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American Jews have been bracing themselves for further violence since the war in Iran started.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
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But the $110 billion sale of WBD to Paramount that Zaslav has orchestrated hung over the festivities, as the industry braces for the thousands of layoffs that will result from the consolidation.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The project aims to strengthen security controls and increase automation across daily operations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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Trump signed into law the first reconciliation bill passed by this Congress last year, extending his tax cuts, funding immigration enforcement, and strengthening work requirements for certain federal social welfare programs.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mohammed al-Basha, a Middle East politics-and-security expert, told me that the Houthis have been readying themselves for action.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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At press time, the company is readying its forthcoming stage adaptation of Imitation of Life, set for a Shed premiere with music and lyrics by Legend.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fortify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortify. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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