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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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
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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,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Catania’s Palazzo Biscari (a bastion of Rococo glory) occupies an entire block of the volcanic-stone city and is still occupied by descendants of the Biscari family.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
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Well, Orange County certainly had this reputation for so long as the conservative bastion, going back to not only the Klan days and then the John Birch Society after that.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
8 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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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
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Passmore’s magisterial, revisionist account of the Maginot Line—the network of French fortifications built in the 1920s and 1930s to stop a German invasion—challenges the conventional understanding of its role in World War II.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 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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Our chairs are for sitting on, not for constructing elaborate forts.—
Eddie Small,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
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The steady flow of packages into our New York and London beauty closets alone could create a cardboard box fort or two.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
29 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stronghold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stronghold. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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