fortresses

plural of fortress
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

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 fortresses The area’s landscape charms visitors with its green hills, rural farmland, and dramatic medieval castles and fortresses. Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 The two studio lots also boast dozens of soundstages; century-old fortresses that would not be easily duplicated. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Once their homes are converted into makeshift fortresses of cookie boxes, scouts like Olive, Shannon Elizabeth, Ara, and Nikki—the protagonists of the documentary—get to work selling them. Bedatri D. Choudhury, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Aug. 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 There are also those invested in the lore and mystique, especially of the fortresses and palaces said to have inspired books and movies. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026 While typical apparel brands struggle with changing seasonal trends and thin profits, giants such as LVMH, Christian Dior, Hermès, Richemont and Nike have built financial fortresses. Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 29 June 2026 Some, like France's Maginot Line, became border fortresses stretching for miles, while German coastal defenses sat on the cliffs of Normandy, requiring the Allies to take out with sea bombardments and direct infantry assaults. David Szondy june 23, New Atlas, 23 June 2026 And by the turn of the twenty-first century, most of those tiny bungalows had been replaced by sprawling estates—fortresses for the entertainment elite, where Oscar trophies adorned mantels and wealth guarded from disaster. Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortresses
Noun
  • In the Almería suburb of La Cañada, one of Vox’s strongholds, those talking points are producing results.
    Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The three are all historically Democratic strongholds that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The historic military fort overlooks the entrance to the Halifax Harbour and boasts old fortifications, historic artifacts, and unbeatable ocean views.
    Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • That is, in part, because Ukraine has built additional lines of defense with fortifications and minefields.
    Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
Noun
  • Perhaps because the Venice Biennale remains one of the few bastions in the world defending freedom of expression, regardless of geographical origin or nationality.
    John Bleasdale, Variety, 19 Aug. 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
Noun
  • 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
  • One of the oldest citadels in the Middle East, Jerash has seen an unbroken chain of human occupation since the Bronze Age.
    Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 3 June 2026
Noun
  • Royal experts point to the Cotswolds, a scenic and quintessentially English area made up of rolling hills, castles and country houses as the top contender for the Sussexes location of choice.
    Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • This land of wide open spaces, ancient churches and castles, and vast sunflower fields, all baking under the blinding August Sun, seemed like the perfect location to enter the path of totality.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Delhi, with its palaces, forts and gardens, echoed this ethos.
    Aishwarya Lakshmi, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The tour, led by Bruce Racond of Revolutionary Tours, promised to take curious attendees to sites rarely seen above 100th Street, from cascading waterfalls to Revolutionary forts.
    Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026

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“Fortresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortresses. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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