fortress

noun

ˈfȯr-trəs How to pronounce fortress (audio)
Definition of fortressnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 fortress The wine cache was found at Bečov Castle in the western Czech Republic, a near 700-year-old medieval fortress dating to the early 14th century. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026 Cancer doesn’t just create a fortress in the body to curb attacks. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Like most of the people who’ve taken up residence in the mountain fortress, top-seeded suitor Antinous is convinced that Odysseus is dead. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 July 2026 Libraries 'don't want to be fortresses' Neither Jackson, UCLA, nor UC Berkeley responded to requests for comment. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fortress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortress
  1. stronghold
  2. citadel
  3. fortification
  4. castle
  5. bastion
  6. fort
Noun
  • Don’t miss the chance to walk to the 800-year-old Lubra village, which remains a stronghold of the Bon Buddhist beliefs or try some complementary medicine from the on-site Amchi traditional Tibetan doctor.
    — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026
  • The allegations made waves in the conservative stronghold that has been represented by a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for decades.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Definition of stronghold
Noun
  • Laelaps was sent to chase a fox that was terrorizing the Cadmea, a citadel.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 24 July 2026
  • Though the song is heavily acoustic, its distorted guitar solos hail squarely from the realm of harder rock, and the artificial choirs that seep in toward the end seem to call out to the symphonic citadels of the Norwegian black metallers.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
Definition of citadel
Noun
  • But its lack of fortifications left it perennially vulnerable to plunder.
    — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The discovery was made beneath an Israelite-period ritual deposit and adjacent to an ancient Canaanite fortification wall, according to the excavation team.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026
Definition of fortification
Noun
  • Some portions of the stone walls at the castle also collapsed as a result of Tuesday’s quake, an official at the castle’s office said.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
  • Just running around wearing cloaks, slinking into and out of castles, slicing the throats of all who cross her.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Definition of castle
Noun
  • With Sir John Hall as chairman, this bastion of stale mediocrity was now forward-thinking and ambitious.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Some of the largest arrays are planned for places that have historically been bastions of anti-solar sentiment.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of bastion
Noun
  • Established in 1855 as a military post to fight against the Mescalero Apache, the fort went on to play a minor role in the Civil War and later served as a tuberculosis sanitorium and a World War II internment camp.
    — Allison Savage Bates, Denver Post, 19 July 2026
  • The old site was fort-like, recalling dark chapters in Native American history.
    — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of fort

Browse Nearby Words

fortitude
fortress
fortresses
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Cite this Entry

“Fortress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortress. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fortress

Nglish: Translation of fortress for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fortress

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