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

This fortress comes as Buffett struggles to find his next big investment target. —Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Feb. 2025

Not even Martin Short’s lady friend and her fortress of Oscar statuettes are immune to the chaos Kate McKinnon’s paranormal sketches can unleash on your psyche. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025

In the 1980s, the Islamist organization Hamas became a rising force among Palestinians in Gaza, eventually succeeding in taking over the enclave and turning it into a fortress of terror. —Efrat Lachter, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025

According to the Association of Archaeologists of Peru, the team identified a mile-long stretch of tunnel between the fortress and temple. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025

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