fortress

noun

for·​tress ˈfȯr-trəs 

: a fortified place : stronghold

especially : a large and permanent fortification sometimes including a town

fortresslike

ˈfȯr-trəs-līk 

adjective

Synonyms

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

Examples of fortress in a Sentence

the boys built a snow fortress and then challenged the neighborhood kids to an in-your-face snowball fight

Recent Examples on the Web

The fortress is made up of two distinct areas: a core inner fortress that researchers say show signs of year-round residential use and a more sprawling outer area that may have been used more occasionally by roaming pastoral groups. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 8 Jan. 2025

Geographically, the United States is both an economic hub and a military fortress. —Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

Google is now leveraging AI to transform its walled garden into a walled fortress, further consolidating its dominance. —Marc McCollum, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

For the genre born in the 1980s, labyrinthine settings have long been Metroidvania’s defining feature, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown delivers a doozy: a mountaintop fortress in which time has gone haywire. —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English forteresse, from Anglo-French fortelesce, forteresse, from Medieval Latin fortalitia, from Latin fortis strong

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fortress

noun

for·​tress ˈfȯr-trəs 

: a fortified place