strongholds

plural of stronghold

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 During the final phase of the war in Gaza, Israel and the United States caused significant military and economic damage to Houthi strongholds in Yemen. April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026 The city remains one of Ukraine’s last strongholds in the Donbas region, but the Russians are getting dangerously close. Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 For the past decade, most Big Oil companies have kept their growth in check, doubled down in their existing strongholds, and tried to give more cash back to their shareholders — not exactly the wildcat spirit of yore. Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026 Denmark hopes to foster a closer relationship with Florida, Sorensen said, because the two are strongholds in life sciences and maritime industries. Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 The three are all historically Democratic strongholds that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 The three finalists are liberal strongholds surrounded by the type of suburban areas that have become increasingly important to the party in recent elections. Mike Catalini, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The ad airs as Hinojosa, a state lawmaker, has aggressively looked to exploit an undercurrent of discontent in rural, Republican strongholds over data centers’ perceived threat to rural life, ranchland and dwindling water supplies. Marc Levy, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026 In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed dominated college towns and university counties, while Haley Stevens won more than 60% in Detroit and carried traditional Democratic strongholds. Andrew Cuomo, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongholds
Noun
  • Most of them can’t afford to outfit their own individual townhouses like armed fortresses as Swift has.
    Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The area’s landscape charms visitors with its green hills, rural farmland, and dramatic medieval castles and fortresses.
    Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The problem is, these companies act much more like private enterprises than bastions of science.
    Matthew Sun, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Perhaps because the Venice Biennale remains one of the few bastions in the world defending freedom of expression, regardless of geographical origin or nationality.
    John Bleasdale, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • During the seven years that it was occupied by British forces, Manhattan had been ravaged by fires, picked over by looters, covered in fortifications, and swollen with refugees.
    Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The historic military fort overlooks the entrance to the Halifax Harbour and boasts old fortifications, historic artifacts, and unbeatable ocean views.
    Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Though the song is heavily acoustic, its distorted guitar solos hail squarely from the realm of harder rock, and the artificial choirs that seep in toward the end seem to call out to the symphonic citadels of the Norwegian black metallers.
    Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
Noun
  • Neighbors had gathered for an afternoon of merriment, complete with a barbecue, a sweets station, and three bouncy castles.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Aargau Cantonal Police said one person was killed and five others were wounded after shots were fired at the event in the town of Aarau, a scenic area known for its lush valleys, medieval castles and thermal springs.
    Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Under Spanish rule, able-bodied Malay men, from teenagers to adults, were required to perform 40 days of unpaid annual labor on roads, bridges, churches, forts, piers, plantations, haciendas and mines.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • A number of defensive forts were planned across the island, including one to be erected right where the Africans had been buried.
    Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Strongholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongholds. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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