Thesaurus results for STRONGHOLDS

strongholds

noun

plural of stronghold

as in fortresses

a structure or place from which one can resist attack the island was the pirates' last stronghold in the West Indies

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 strongholds Their statement comes as roughly 2,500 Salvadoran soldiers deployed by President Nayib Bukele join the fight against armed groups in Haiti, and a separate drone task force intensifies attacks on their strongholds. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026 Republican Senator Dan Sullivan clawed back ground on Democrat Mary Peltola in the tight Alaska Senate race on Wednesday but suffered a setback in one of the state's GOP strongholds. — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Nov. 2026 Latino communities that swung toward Trump in 2024 moved sharply back toward Democrats this year, including in Republican strongholds where their growing clout is upending the political dynamic. — Lautaro Grinspan, AJC.com, 12 Nov. 2026 Airstrikes targeted strongholds belonging to 400 Mawozo and the home of its leader, Lanmò San Jou, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026 His army of orcs are tracking down the rest of the titular rings, which are safe(ish) with the elves in the luxe strongholds of Lindon and Rivendell, as well as my beloved dwarves in the sonorous mines of Khazad-dûm. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Nov. 2026 Even districts long considered Republican strongholds fell to Democratic challengers. — Robert T.f. Downes, Hartford Courant, 10 Nov. 2026 DeSantis can point to Republicans’ ability to retain control of Florida even as Democrats flipped longtime GOP strongholds elsewhere. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2026 Democrats won the House, the Senate, and a majority of governorships, penetrating deep into historically red strongholds like Texas, Kansas, Mississippi, and South Carolina. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongholds

Noun

The history of castles is, of course, also filled with gruesome details, and some of the most famous fortresses served as prisons and sites of torture and execution.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
The structures include monasteries and fortresses that showcase the reign of the Lombards, who played a major role in the development of medieval European Christianity.

— Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of fortresses

Noun

At the start of this election cycle, the notion that Democrats would seriously compete in such deep-red bastions as Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas would have seemed absurd.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Democrats won several statewide races in places long considered GOP bastions, including races that were considered insurmountable even weeks ago.

— Charlie Hunt, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of bastions

Noun

During the Nazi occupation of France, Germany began building the Atlantic Wall, a series of defensive fortifications stretching along the coast from Spain to Norway.

— Shahnaz Bashir, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026
Houses were rebuilt over the remains of earlier houses, incorporating old walls and materials into new construction; basilicas became churches and churches became mosques; obsolete city walls and fortifications became boulevards and promenades.

— Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of fortifications

Noun

Joe cut his teeth by working his way up the ranks; also maybe by hanging around a lot when dad Jack Buck broadcast for years from most of the sacred citadels of sports.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
And yet Trump wants to turn the White House and an outpost on the Potomac into similar citadels, with little regard for why America’s capital city was named for one of its greatest examples of unadorned republican virtue.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of citadels

Noun

The production team scouted 16 castles all across Europe before selecting Schleissheim Palace, just outside of Munich, Germany, as its main location.

— Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2026
So, rather than castles and stony ramparts, visitors encounter farms and sleepy villages.

— Rick Steves, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of castles

Noun

Jones examines the role America has played in the broader history of castles, from early fortifications to Civil War-era forts.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Black public figures mingle with slave forts and the most vaunted creations of high art.

— Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of forts

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“Strongholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongholds. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of strongholds

noun

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