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

Relevance

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 Tuesday's midterm elections catapulted Democratic Senate and gubernatorial candidates to statewide victories in Republican strongholds like Ohio and Texas, both of which play host to a number of AI data centers. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 5 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 The new map for the 3rd district cut out Republican strongholds like Roseville and Lincoln and now includes parts of Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Auburn, Truckee and South Lake Tahoe. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026 Across the country, Democratic gubernatorial candidates also burst ahead, winning races in GOP strongholds like Georgia, Ohio and Texas. — Ruby Siefken, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026 Rising costs gave challengers an opening even in Republican strongholds. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026 Democrats reclaimed control of both chambers of Congress, flipping seven Senate seats—including in Republican strongholds where the party had not won in decades. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2026 At the same time, five Republican candidates like House caucus leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford and Joe Polletta of Watertown are running unopposed in party strongholds. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026 Trump is rallying in Mississippi, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina and Kansas — longtime Republican strongholds where the party now worries its own voters may stay home. — Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongholds
  1. fortresses
  2. bastions
  3. fortifications
  4. citadels
  5. castles
  6. forts
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
  • So far in Orange County, one of the Florida’s few blue bastions, Democrats account for roughly half of the ballots cast.
    — Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of bastions
Noun
  • Meanwhile, North Korea has been adding mines, barbed wire fences, tactical roads, anti-tank walls and other fortifications to what's already one of the world's most heavily armed borders.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Last month, two South Korean soldiers were seriously wounded by what Seoul says were North Korean mines planted as part of those fortifications.
    — Anna Coren, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of fortifications
Noun
  • 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
  • Castellón To the north, Castellón unfolds as a mountainous marvel where medieval citadels, golden beaches, and tiny fishing villages create a landscape of contrasts, with the scent of citrus perfuming the air.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of citadels
Noun
  • So, rather than castles and stony ramparts, visitors encounter farms and sleepy villages.
    — Rick Steves, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
  • In a technology park, not far from 13th century castles, medieval ruins and picturesque villages, stands Troy Studios.
    — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 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

Browse Nearby Words

stronghold
strongholds
strongly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Strongholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongholds. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of abandon

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All