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

• bastion
• castle
• citadel
• fastness
• fortification
• fortress
• hold
• redoubt
• stronghold

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

But after some years, the cesspool got bigger, and our fort got smaller, and eventually the cesspool must have looked inviting. —Willy Staley, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

Amid the rapid change in the 800 and 400 free events, now the fans await how long Katie Ledecky will hold her fort in the 1500. —Paras J. Haji, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

Some sites are invisible to the untrained eye, but at Mashantucket Pequot Reservation in Connecticut, visitors can experience a reconstructed fort from 1675. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025

Just four months later, he was asked to hold the fort as interim head coach at one of the world’s biggest clubs following Ten Hag’s dismissal. —Rob Tanner, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 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