as in fortresses
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 strongholds
Now, only small pockets of staghorn colonies remain farther north, including near Fort Lauderdale, where reefs around Port Everglades now represent one of the species’ last natural strongholds in the continental United States.
—
Teresa Tomassoni, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026
Electoral officials face questions about the failure of biometric voter identification machines, which caused delays Thursday in the start of voting in urban areas — including the capital, Kampala — that are opposition strongholds.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
The redrawn district eliminates some precincts that are Republican strongholds and adds a heavily Democratic area of Sonoma County.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026
The federal government has stepped up operations in Chicago and the Twin Cities, both Democratic strongholds, during the fall and local officials have criticized them for sowing chaos and confusion.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 13 Jan. 2026
Immigration operations that started last summer in liberal strongholds such as Chicago,Los Angeles and Portland also generated large protests.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 8 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
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
The President has also deployed federal troops to several other Democratic strongholds in what the White House has characterized as an effort to combat crime.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Teresa Tomassoni, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026
Electoral officials face questions about the failure of biometric voter identification machines, which caused delays Thursday in the start of voting in urban areas — including the capital, Kampala — that are opposition strongholds.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
The redrawn district eliminates some precincts that are Republican strongholds and adds a heavily Democratic area of Sonoma County.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026
The federal government has stepped up operations in Chicago and the Twin Cities, both Democratic strongholds, during the fall and local officials have criticized them for sowing chaos and confusion.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 13 Jan. 2026
Immigration operations that started last summer in liberal strongholds such as Chicago,Los Angeles and Portland also generated large protests.
—Nicholas Riccardi, Fortune, 8 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
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
The President has also deployed federal troops to several other Democratic strongholds in what the White House has characterized as an effort to combat crime.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongholds
Noun
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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
Noun
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While many American cities are painted as bastions of murder, a new report has revealed that this is not actually the case.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
27 Jan. 2026
-
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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Some are outfitted with dozens of pounds of explosives to self-destruct near fortifications or bridges.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
-
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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The story is a bit murkier than Manichaean talk of stormers and citadels.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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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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The rousing trailer finds Prince Adam bored to death hiding out at a generic corporate desk job on Earth when his precious sword is discovered, which sends him on a wild odyssey back to the land of Eternia and its talking tigers, spaceships, gothic castles, and magic swords.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Seeped in history, Messinia is rich with classical temples, Byzantine churches, and craggy medieval castles (a stomp up to the ruins at Pylos is a must, for the breathtaking 360-degree views).—
Jemima Sissons,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For a real sense of seclusion, opt for one of the family pool villas that feel like miniature forts.—
Jennifer Flowers,
AFAR Media,
30 Jan. 2026
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Our chairs are for sitting on, not for constructing elaborate forts.—
Eddie Small,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strongholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongholds. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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