Thesaurus results for FORTRESS

fortress

noun

ˈfȯr-trəs

Definition of fortress

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 structures include monasteries and fortresses that showcase the reign of the Lombards, who played a major role in the development of medieval European Christianity. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026 The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, flourished for centuries, building elaborate fortresses, cities and other settlements. — R. Scott Rappold, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2026 The legacy data center strategy relied on secrecy—unmarked, fortress-like facilities hidden behind high security fences with minimal community outreach. — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Opponents say the president is going too far in his hardening of the White House, turning it into something closer to a fortress. — Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fortress

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortress

Noun

The new map for the 3rd district cut out Republican strongholds like Roseville and Lincoln and now includes parts of Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Auburn, Truckee and South Lake Tahoe.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
The state’s First Congressional District is known as a Democratic stronghold, with Hannah Pingree’s mother, Chellie Pingree, expected to retain the seat she’s held since 2009.

— Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of stronghold

Noun

And yet Trump wants to turn the White House and an outpost on the Potomac into similar citadels, with little regard for why America’s capital city was named for one of its greatest examples of unadorned republican virtue.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Castellón To the north, Castellón unfolds as a mountainous marvel where medieval citadels, golden beaches, and tiny fishing villages create a landscape of contrasts, with the scent of citrus perfuming the air.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of citadel

Noun

During the Nazi occupation of France, Germany began building the Atlantic Wall, a series of defensive fortifications stretching along the coast from Spain to Norway.

— Shahnaz Bashir, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026
Houses were rebuilt over the remains of earlier houses, incorporating old walls and materials into new construction; basilicas became churches and churches became mosques; obsolete city walls and fortifications became boulevards and promenades.

— Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of fortification

Noun

So, rather than castles and stony ramparts, visitors encounter farms and sleepy villages.

— Rick Steves, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
That proved too costly for producers, so the decision was made to change the location to a castle, while keeping the idea of a mutiny and rival factions working against each other.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of castle

Noun

At the start of this election cycle, the notion that Democrats would seriously compete in such deep-red bastions as Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas would have seemed absurd.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
In Florida, Republicans hung onto control in what has been a GOP bastion for much of the past two decades.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of bastion

Browse Nearby Words

fortitude

fortress

fortresses

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“Fortress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortress. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of fortress

noun

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