as in fortress
a structure or place from which one can resist attack
the island was the pirates' last stronghold in the West Indies
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Recent Examples of stronghold
These forces hold a patchwork of strongholds, primarily in the central province of Marib, parts of Taiz, and Aden in the south.
—
Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
The Patriots opened the season with two wins but then sustained two losses, all against strongholds from outside the county.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
In August, Democrat Catelin Drey handily defeated her GOP opponent in the Republican stronghold of northwestern Iowa, giving Democrats 17 seats to Republicans' 33.
—CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025
The Islamic State West African Province -- an IS affiliate in Nigeria -- has its strongholds in the northeastern part of the country, where it is currently involved in a power struggle with its parent organization, Boko Haram.
—Ope Adetayo, Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stronghold
Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
The Patriots opened the season with two wins but then sustained two losses, all against strongholds from outside the county.
—Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025
In August, Democrat Catelin Drey handily defeated her GOP opponent in the Republican stronghold of northwestern Iowa, giving Democrats 17 seats to Republicans' 33.
—CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025
The Islamic State West African Province -- an IS affiliate in Nigeria -- has its strongholds in the northeastern part of the country, where it is currently involved in a power struggle with its parent organization, Boko Haram.
—Ope Adetayo, Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stronghold
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stronghold
Noun
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Sometimes they’re even seen walking among the ruins of the imposing 10th-century Ranthambore Fort, a hikeable hilltop fortress in the park’s center brimming with langur monkeys.—
Laura Kiniry,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
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Right now, though, Payton is betting he’s built a fortress impenetrable to such thoughts as long as there is still an opponent ahead.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The city was once a bastion of boutique hotels—such as the forthcoming El Cortés, opening in Roma Norte in March in a 1915 Art Nouveau mansion—but the scene is shifting as the big names arrive.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
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Wikipedia is one of the last bastions of the early internet, but that original vision of a free online space has been clouded by the dominance of Big Tech platforms and the rise of generative AI chatbots trained on content scraped from the web.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The area was once a citadel complex in the time of King Herod, who ruled from 37 to 5 B.C. after he was appointed king of Judea by the Romans.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
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The sprawling citadel — complete with towers, walls and barracks — was discovered at the Tel el-Kharouba archaeological site in the Sinai Peninsula, according to an Oct. 11 news release from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hundreds of millions more are dedicated to smaller, local road projects and the fortification of rural bridges.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
15 Jan. 2026
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In September 2023, in the middle of the Northumberland night, a mechanic named Adam Carruthers cut down a sycamore tree more than a century old that stood in a gap along an especially picturesque section of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman fortification that runs across the narrowest part of England.—
Rosa Lyster,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Outside of showing us the Secret Traitor’s handwriting on their shortlists, there were no tells from the production team about who this person could be, just shadowy footage of some hooded player wandering the castle with a lantern.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Jan. 2026
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After the cast gathered outside the castle, host Alan Cumming selected one player in plain sight to take on the role.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There are several historical accounts of his ruthlessness to people at the fort.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
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Nicole Fallert Greetings from inside my snow fort.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stronghold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stronghold. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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