bulwark

[ bool-werk, -wawrk, buhl- ]

noun

1. a wall of earth or other material built for defense; rampart.
2. any protection against external danger, injury, or annoyance:

   The new dam was a bulwark against future floods.

3. any person or thing giving strong support or encouragement in time of need, danger, or doubt:

   Religion was his bulwark.

   Synonyms: mainstay, buttress, support

4. Usually bulwarks. Nautical. a solid wall enclosing the perimeter of a weather or main deck for the protection of persons or objects on deck.

verb (used with object)

1. to fortify or protect with a bulwark; secure by or as if by a fortification.

bulwark

/ ˈbʊlwək /

noun

1. a wall or similar structure used as a fortification; rampart
2. a person or thing acting as a defence against injury, annoyance, etc
3. often plural nautical a solid vertical fencelike structure along the outward sides of a deck
4. a breakwater or mole

verb

1. tr to defend or fortify with or as if with a bulwark

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulwark¹

1375–1425; late Middle English bulwerk, probably < Middle Dutch bolwerc, equivalent to bol ( l ) e bole ¹ + werk work (noun); boulevard

Word History and Origins

Origin of bulwark¹

C15: via Dutch from Middle High German bolwerk , from bol plank, bole ¹+ werk work

Example Sentences

The German Panzers fought with suicidal ferocity, storming the hill until it was rimmed with a bulwark of bodies.

From The Daily Beast

And if they do, that will serve as a further bulwark against a return to bloc-to-bloc dynamics.

From The Daily Beast

First, however weak the court may be as a bulwark against majoritarian tyranny, it is better than no bulwark at all.

From The Daily Beast

What we most wanted in a policy was a bulwark against financial devastation from a catastrophic illness.

From The Daily Beast

When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark.

From The Daily Beast

Our camp was enclosed with a solid wall of the dead—a bulwark, a breastwork, of corpses, you may say.

From Project Gutenberg

John Ward seized Patricia from behind, holding her by her arms as a bulwark against our lead.

From Project Gutenberg

Right at the crown of the battlement stood a figure in armor, and behind the bulwark was the noise of struggle.

From Project Gutenberg

Before I could say a word, or move forward to seize him, he sprang on the bulwark and deliberately threw himself into the sea.

From Project Gutenberg

The lower part of the river—the Fleet—was tidal, and formed the western bulwark of London for centuries.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bastion
• fortress
• mainstay
• redoubt