rampart

American  

[ram-pahrt, -pert] / ˈræm pɑrt, -pərt /

noun

1. Fortification.

   1. a broad elevation or mound of earth raised as a fortification around a place and usually capped with a stone or earth parapet.

   2. such an elevation together with the parapet.

2. anything serving as a bulwark or defense.

   Synonyms:

   guard, barricade, breastwork, fortification

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with or as if with a rampart.

rampart British  

/ ˈræmpɑːt /

noun

1. the surrounding embankment of a fort, often including any walls, parapets, walks, etc, that are built on the bank

2. anything resembling a rampart in form or function, esp in being a defence or bulwark

3. a steep rock wall in a river gorge

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with a rampart; fortify

Etymology

Origin of rampart

1575–85; < Middle French, derivative of remparer, equivalent to re- re- + emparer to take possession of < Provençal amparar ≪ Latin ante- ante- + parāre to prepare

Example Sentences

This laid-back, cafe-laden ledge is located above the beaches and ancient ramparts where the Douro River pours through its last, lovely tributaries into the Atlantic Ocean.

From The Wall Street Journal

The tilted-over towers overlooking the palace moat have all been brought back upright, and workers are building new brick castellations for their supporting ramparts.

From Barron's

Through the use of aerial surveys and photogrammetry mapping, it is suspected that 98 of the house platforms were inside the inner enclosure and more than 500 were located between the two ramparts.

From BBC

Defenders of the bolillo ascended the ramparts of the internet to defend their humble fare.

From Los Angeles Times

She had to blink a few times to make sure the sight was real, much as Hamlet might have done at the sight of his father’s ghost appearing on the ramparts of the castle.

From Literature

Related Words

• barricade