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
Surface tanks are targets; subsurface reservoirs are fortresses.
—
Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
France believed its Maginot Line of fortresses was impregnable – until the Germans simply went around it.
—New Atlas, 19 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, history buffs will love exploring the island’s capital via colorful Spanish-colonial architecture and imposing, ancient fortresses like La Fortaleza and El Morro.
—Brittany Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
Collective investments in resilience are cheaper than everyone building their own fortresses.
—Haley Ott, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Tour the fortresses, stroll through the town’s central market, and visit Spianada Square, the largest square in Greece.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
While the prison grounds have no high fences, the prison units exist as separate fortresses, successors to the long wooden barracks that were once here.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Secure capitals While both India and Pakistan have historically faced significant security threats, their capitals are meant to be fortresses – home to the seats of government, military leadership, and the diplomatic corps.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
Andermatt, Switzerland High in the Alps, where trains wind through snowbound passes and peaks rise like fortresses, Andermatt is one of Switzerland’s most dynamic winter destinations.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025
Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
France believed its Maginot Line of fortresses was impregnable – until the Germans simply went around it.
—New Atlas, 19 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, history buffs will love exploring the island’s capital via colorful Spanish-colonial architecture and imposing, ancient fortresses like La Fortaleza and El Morro.
—Brittany Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
Collective investments in resilience are cheaper than everyone building their own fortresses.
—Haley Ott, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Tour the fortresses, stroll through the town’s central market, and visit Spianada Square, the largest square in Greece.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
While the prison grounds have no high fences, the prison units exist as separate fortresses, successors to the long wooden barracks that were once here.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Secure capitals While both India and Pakistan have historically faced significant security threats, their capitals are meant to be fortresses – home to the seats of government, military leadership, and the diplomatic corps.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
Andermatt, Switzerland High in the Alps, where trains wind through snowbound passes and peaks rise like fortresses, Andermatt is one of Switzerland’s most dynamic winter destinations.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortresses
Noun
-
Northern Israel has come under especially heavy fire from Hezbollah in recent days, and residents, including people in traditional Netanyahu strongholds, have voiced anger over Israel's failure to halt the attacks.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee invested millions into several House contests, hoping to box out progressive, anti-Israel candidates from winning safe Democratic strongholds.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And now our- General Caine, Secretary Hegseth, are leading a campaign to destroy all the fortifications along the straits of Hormuz.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Iran’s neighbors, particularly Turkey and Iraq, are preparing contingency plans including border fortifications and refugee shelters amid fears of a potential crisis.—
Sam McNeil,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Military engineers resorted to building lower, thicker ramparts, backed by earth, and sought to eliminate blind spots by building angular bastions — the aforementioned extrusions.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The first round brought mixed results for the party, which got re-elected in several cities but failed to make major wins beyond its southern and northern bastions.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Also enjoy beach games, building sand castles, practicing beach safety and using boogie boards and kickboards.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Six months to be around castles and fire and monsters and beauty and pain and all these things.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The resulting star forts (so called because of their multiple fortified extrusions) solved a technological crisis.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Our boys were no longer little travelers content to trail along behind us through forts and museums.—
Christine Chitnis,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fortresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortresses. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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