as in strongholds
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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Recent Examples of fortresses
Sleek architecture marries centuries-old fortresses—while locals swap skis for kayaks, depending on the season.
—
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Inextricably tied to the D-Day invasion of World War II, this northern French region of orchards, dairies, horse farms and seaside villages along the English Channel draws visitors who come to honor the fallen or visit famous medieval fortresses and abbeys.
—Seth Sherwood, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Many CEOs believe tariffs are here to stay, as America’s trading partners create their own walled fortresses and blocs.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
From Florida’s offshore fortresses to California’s marine sanctuaries, these places are open to adventurous visitors and perfect for a late-summer excursion.
—Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2025
The discovery highlights the region’s strategic military importance during Egypt’s New Kingdom, where fortresses and strongholds were built to defend the eastern borders.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
But storybook fortresses aren’t exclusive to mythical kingdoms and romantic tales.
—Gulnaz Khan, AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025
Finding individuals with the expertise to transform applications into secure fortresses with additional layers of defense for protecting customer data is a challenge.
—Gil Dabah, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
The characteristics of the outer settlement have significance for understanding what kinds of sites these mega-fortresses were, according to the researcher.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Inextricably tied to the D-Day invasion of World War II, this northern French region of orchards, dairies, horse farms and seaside villages along the English Channel draws visitors who come to honor the fallen or visit famous medieval fortresses and abbeys.
—Seth Sherwood, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Many CEOs believe tariffs are here to stay, as America’s trading partners create their own walled fortresses and blocs.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
From Florida’s offshore fortresses to California’s marine sanctuaries, these places are open to adventurous visitors and perfect for a late-summer excursion.
—Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2025
The discovery highlights the region’s strategic military importance during Egypt’s New Kingdom, where fortresses and strongholds were built to defend the eastern borders.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
But storybook fortresses aren’t exclusive to mythical kingdoms and romantic tales.
—Gulnaz Khan, AFAR Media, 13 Feb. 2025
Finding individuals with the expertise to transform applications into secure fortresses with additional layers of defense for protecting customer data is a challenge.
—Gil Dabah, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
The characteristics of the outer settlement have significance for understanding what kinds of sites these mega-fortresses were, according to the researcher.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortresses
Noun
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Democrats see wins in battle for suburbia While some Democratic strongholds buttressed by working class voters have grown redder, the suburbs north of Indianapolis appear to be trending in the opposite direction.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
23 Oct. 2025
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And the housing shortage has spread beyond coastal cities normally dominated by Democrats to rural areas in Republican strongholds.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Historians believe the castle featured living quarters and fortifications, plus courtyards, kitchens, houses and workshops.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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Others opt to stay local, exploring Civitavecchia’s waterfront, markets and old fortifications without the long journey inland.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The story is a bit murkier than Manichaean talk of stormers and citadels.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Intelsat’s leadership rapidly green-lighted the campaign to set up internet citadels.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Instead, Tuttle suffered 10 rejections in a row, including hard passes from indie bastions like Sundance and SXSW.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Sports, one of the last bastions of bipartisan broadcast TV viewing, is apt to keep the network-station binary from completely dissolving.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As the series progressed, Carter went on to construct a highly believable world of Roy, with a sequence of meticulously outfitted penthouses, lofts, vacation homes, and castles, as well as private jets, yachts, a corporate boardroom, and a TV newsroom.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
19 Oct. 2025
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And don’t forget to take in the surrounding Carpathian Mountain landscape with its misty dense forest and nearby castles and medieval towns that are equally worthy of a visit.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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During the second half of the nineteenth century, politics and military service often made a large nation feel like a small world, as white men in power repeatedly crossed paths in Washington, DC, on Civil War battlefields, and at frontier forts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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Centuries ago in the Siwalik Mountains, a range in the outer Himalayas, ancient people built stone forts.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fortresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortresses. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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