fort

noun

ˈfȯrt 

1

: a strong or fortified place

especially : a fortified place occupied only by troops and surrounded with such works as a ditch, rampart, and parapet : fortification

2

: a permanent army post

—often used in place names

Synonyms

• fortress
• stronghold
• fortification
• citadel
• castle
• bastion

Examples of fort in a Sentence

They captured the fort after a long battle.

a series of forts along the frontier

Recent Examples on the Web

In Florida, the Heritage Monitoring Scouts visit archaeological sites, including cemeteries, forts and mills, to record any impacts after extreme weather events. —Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025

The whole conceit of the 2025 season was that the veterans would hold down the fort until the prodigious roster of kids caught up to the speed, smarts, and physicality of the NFL game. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025

Throughout it there are forts, full-size wooden galleons and signs hung on what appear to be Persian rugs. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Creation, including one very creepy scene in which two girls hide under a blanket fort while a presence draws closer to them. —Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English forte, from Anglo-French fort, from fort, adjective, strong, from Latin fortis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fort

• hold down the fort
• hold the fort

Rhymes for fort

• bort
• corte
• court
• dort
• mort
• norte
• ort
• port
• porte
• quart
• short
• snort

Kids Definition

fort

noun

ˈfō(ə)rt 

ˈfȯ(ə)rt

1

: a strong or fortified place

2

: a permanent army post