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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Recent Examples of strongholds
Meanwhile, in deep-blue strongholds, law-abiding people and small shop owners keep getting treated like background characters in someone else’s morality play.
—
Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
But Maples, and another Republican running for the Florida Senate, Brian Nathan, lost to Democrats in the latest sign that Democrats are performing well in traditional Republican strongholds.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Illinois and Chicago are high-tax, big-promise blue strongholds with long, tawdry histories of waste, fraud, patronage, insider deals and blatant corruption.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
That response has gone well beyond the Shia strongholds and has displaced one million people who might never be able to go home.
—Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The protests even drew thousands of people in some GOP strongholds.
—David Cortright, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Kyiv still has strongholds in this area—Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Kostiantynivka—that will take some time for Russia to conquer, though some analysts predict that Russia will capture these cities before the end of the year.
—Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Northern Israel has come under especially heavy fire from Hezbollah in recent days, and residents, including people in traditional Netanyahu strongholds, have voiced anger over Israel's failure to halt the attacks.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee invested millions into several House contests, hoping to box out progressive, anti-Israel candidates from winning safe Democratic strongholds.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026
Larry Clifton, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
But Maples, and another Republican running for the Florida Senate, Brian Nathan, lost to Democrats in the latest sign that Democrats are performing well in traditional Republican strongholds.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Illinois and Chicago are high-tax, big-promise blue strongholds with long, tawdry histories of waste, fraud, patronage, insider deals and blatant corruption.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
That response has gone well beyond the Shia strongholds and has displaced one million people who might never be able to go home.
—Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
The protests even drew thousands of people in some GOP strongholds.
—David Cortright, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Kyiv still has strongholds in this area—Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Kostiantynivka—that will take some time for Russia to conquer, though some analysts predict that Russia will capture these cities before the end of the year.
—Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Northern Israel has come under especially heavy fire from Hezbollah in recent days, and residents, including people in traditional Netanyahu strongholds, have voiced anger over Israel's failure to halt the attacks.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee invested millions into several House contests, hoping to box out progressive, anti-Israel candidates from winning safe Democratic strongholds.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strongholds
Noun
-
Surface tanks are targets; subsurface reservoirs are fortresses.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
France believed its Maginot Line of fortresses was impregnable – until the Germans simply went around it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Military engineers resorted to building lower, thicker ramparts, backed by earth, and sought to eliminate blind spots by building angular bastions — the aforementioned extrusions.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The first round brought mixed results for the party, which got re-elected in several cities but failed to make major wins beyond its southern and northern bastions.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Javelin missile systems are portable antitank weapons also designed to destroy low-flying helicopters and other fortifications.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Star fortifications started in Italy, were perfected in France (especially by the prolific Vauban), and dominated the European military scene for the entire 17th and 18th centuries, giving Europe’s strategic cities and landscapes a distinctive architectural look.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The story is a bit murkier than Manichaean talk of stormers and citadels.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Intelsat’s leadership rapidly green-lighted the campaign to set up internet citadels.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The fantasy story is set in a world of emperors and empresses, replete with castles and lavish costumes.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Also enjoy beach games, building sand castles, practicing beach safety and using boogie boards and kickboards.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The resulting star forts (so called because of their multiple fortified extrusions) solved a technological crisis.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Our boys were no longer little travelers content to trail along behind us through forts and museums.—
Christine Chitnis,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strongholds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strongholds. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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