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
The filmmakers travel through Roma villages in the nation’s countryside —hard-core Fidesz strongholds — to uncover a wide network of bribery and blackmail.
—
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
The outcome could show whether Modi’s party can extend its dominance by making inroads into opposition strongholds.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Some Senate races in what should be Republican strongholds are suddenly looking tighter that expected.
—Nancy Cook, Bloomberg, 7 Apr. 2026
This development reflects a broader shift in which many Anglicans locate the center of the faith outside its Western strongholds.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, in deep-blue strongholds, law-abiding people and small shop owners keep getting treated like background characters in someone else’s morality play.
—Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
But Maples, and another Republican running for the Florida Senate, Brian Nathan, lost to Democrats in the latest sign that Democrats are performing well in traditional Republican strongholds.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Illinois and Chicago are high-tax, big-promise blue strongholds with long, tawdry histories of waste, fraud, patronage, insider deals and blatant corruption.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
That response has gone well beyond the Shia strongholds and has displaced one million people who might never be able to go home.
—Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026
The outcome could show whether Modi’s party can extend its dominance by making inroads into opposition strongholds.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Some Senate races in what should be Republican strongholds are suddenly looking tighter that expected.
—Nancy Cook, Bloomberg, 7 Apr. 2026
This development reflects a broader shift in which many Anglicans locate the center of the faith outside its Western strongholds.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, in deep-blue strongholds, law-abiding people and small shop owners keep getting treated like background characters in someone else’s morality play.
—Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
But Maples, and another Republican running for the Florida Senate, Brian Nathan, lost to Democrats in the latest sign that Democrats are performing well in traditional Republican strongholds.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Illinois and Chicago are high-tax, big-promise blue strongholds with long, tawdry histories of waste, fraud, patronage, insider deals and blatant corruption.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
That response has gone well beyond the Shia strongholds and has displaced one million people who might never be able to go home.
—Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongholds
Noun
-
Surface tanks are targets; subsurface reservoirs are fortresses.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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France believed its Maginot Line of fortresses was impregnable – until the Germans simply went around it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Israeli officials further compounded those fears Wednesday, with Avichay Adraee, Israel’s Arabic-language spokesman, accusing Hezbollah of moving beyond its traditional bastions of support in the southern suburbs of the capital and embedding itself in north Beirut and mixed neighborhoods.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
-
Over many years, Iran has built underground fortifications and facilities to protect its missile and drone inventory.—
Daniel Kurtzer,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Javelin missile systems are portable antitank weapons also designed to destroy low-flying helicopters and other fortifications.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
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
-
Here are six of the most notable castles in Italy.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Eventually building sand castles at the beach with his kids.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
These individuals shaped Charleston’s politics and economy by building canals, roads, bridges, forts— virtually all the colony’s infrastructure—but their contributions were not documented and their names are unknown.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
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Massive cannons were stationed at forts across the world, while smaller and more-portable guns accompanied troops and naval (and pirate) vessels.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strongholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongholds. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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