fortress
Americannoun
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a large fortified place; a fort or group of forts, often including a town; citadel.
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any place of exceptional security; stronghold.
noun
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a large fort or fortified town
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a place or source of refuge or support
verb
Etymology
Origin of fortress
1300–50; Middle English forteresse < Old French < Vulgar Latin *fortaricia (compare Medieval Latin fortalitia ), equivalent to Latin fort ( is ) strong + -ar-, formative of uncertain meaning +- icia -ice
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That is, Berkshire’s fortress balance sheet and its durable earnings make it more valuable in times of stress or chaos, since it can deploy capital when others are constrained.
From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026
Along with its embattled neighbour Kramatorsk, Slovyansk is designated as a "fortress city".
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
One worry about how defensible Netflix’s fortress is comes from how fast it got here.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
“The building is a fortress, it’s got thick concrete walls,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026
The mall was built like a fortress around a huge, two-story enclosed street, where store succeeded store, as far as you could see.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
