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• fort
  fort

  noun

  a strong or fortified place occupied by troops and usually surrounded by walls, ditches, and other defensive works; a fortress; fortification.
• fort.
  fort.

  abbreviation

  fortification.

fort

¹ American  

[fawrt, fohrt] / fɔrt, foʊrt /

noun

forts plural

1. a strong or fortified place occupied by troops and usually surrounded by walls, ditches, and other defensive works; a fortress; fortification.

2. any permanent army post.

3. (formerly) a trading post.

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idioms

1. hold the fort,

   1. to defend one's position against attack or criticism.

   2. to maintain the existing state of affairs.

fort. ² American  

abbreviation

1. fortification.

2. fortified.

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fort British  

/ fɔːt /

noun

1. a fortified enclosure, building, or position able to be defended against an enemy

2. informal to maintain or guard something temporarily

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fort More Idioms  

1. see hold the fort.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• forts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fort

First recorded in 1550–60; from Middle French, noun use of adjective fort “strong,” from Latin fortis “strong, tough, hardy”

Explanation

A fort is a place that's made strong and secure enough to be defended during a war. Although it’s usually a military word, you can also make a fort with chairs and a blanket to defend against annoying little siblings. A fort can also be called a fortress or a fortification, although typically a fortress describes a larger structure or a series of structures, while a fort is usually only one. All of these words come from the Latin word fortis for "strong, mighty, or brave.” Traditionally, forts have been strongly defended, with thick stone walls and other elements protecting them from invaders. Today in the US, some forts are simply military bases. Others are simply in the living room.

Example Sentences

The Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857 stopped at Cajon Pass and did not rupture the San Jacinto Fault.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2026

Down at Fort Lauderdale two weeks ago, at the squad's pre-tournament camp at Inter Miami's training centre, Clarke came over to the pitch-side media - unexpectedly - for a wee chinwag.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

“There’s like this—I don’t want to say competition—but everyone’s thinking about how big they can go and how flashy they can be,” said Justin Giangrande, a sports agent based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Then he got in another brawl, was imprisoned in Fort St. Angelo, escaped, and was formally expelled by the Order—the recorded language is “like a rotten and fetid limb.”

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

“Which I will be confiscating, by the way. Security is going to be tighter than ever now. This place will be Fort Knox.”

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed