as in stronghold
a structure or place from which one can resist attack
the boys built a snow fortress and then challenged the neighborhood kids to an in-your-face snowball fight
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fortress
Resembling a medieval Armenian fortress, the hotel has rooms that boasted arched doorways, stone flooring and handwoven Tufenkian carpets.
—
Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Niki Ghofranian and Ritta Nielsen visited Dunstaffnage in 2019, but never planned to put the 14th-century building’s fortress skills to the test.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
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
According to local lore, the hillside on which this estate is situated is where a young Napoleon once climbed the cliff below the fortress and carved a heart into the rock.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortress
Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Niki Ghofranian and Ritta Nielsen visited Dunstaffnage in 2019, but never planned to put the 14th-century building’s fortress skills to the test.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
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
According to local lore, the hillside on which this estate is situated is where a young Napoleon once climbed the cliff below the fortress and carved a heart into the rock.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fortress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortress
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 tiny, wooded citadel is the northernmost Stone Age stronghold anywhere in Eurasia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the end, the fortifications that mattered most were those that strengthened Rome against the invaders that could not be seen.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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Indeed, many cereals can be nutritious even without fortification, especially when made from whole grains.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
6 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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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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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
“Fortress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortress. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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