bastion

[ bas-chuhn, -tee-uhn ]

/ ˈbæs tʃən, -ti ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bastion ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Fortification. a projecting portion of a rampart or fortification that forms an irregular pentagon attached at the base to the main work.

a fortified place.

anything seen as preserving or protecting some quality, condition, etc.: a bastion of solitude; a bastion of democracy.

Nearby words

bastille, bastille day, bastinade, bastinado, basting, bastion, bastnaesite, bastogne, bastrop, basuto, basutoland

Origin of bastion

1590–1600; < Middle French < Italian bastione, equivalent to Upper Italian bastí(a) bastion, orig., fortified, built (cognate with Italian bastita, past participle of bastire to build < Germanic; see baste¹) + -one augmentative suffix

SYNONYMS FOR bastion

2 fortress, fort, bulwark, stronghold, citadel.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bastion ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

bas·tion·ar·y

[bas-chuh-ner-ee] /ˈbæs tʃəˌnɛr i/, adjectivebas·tioned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bastion

The tweets linking to the National Review, that bastion of LGBT equality.
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline|Jay Michaelson|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But that was not to be, and Kansas will continue as a Republican bastion for the foreseeable future.
Kansas Republicans Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback Lifted by Rising Tide|Ben Jacobs|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fairfax County, the most populous jurisdiction in the state, was once a Republican bastion.
Virginia Election: 5 Things to Watch Tuesday|Ben Jacobs|November 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Kentucky, a bastion of anti-government ire, is the top state for Obamacare enrollment.
Obamacare Is Winning in Kentucky, Thanks to Steve Beshear|Jonathan Miller|October 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Kaine could be boosted by his subcommittee, a bastion of support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
How Tim Kaine Can Boost the Peace Process|Rachel Cohen|July 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The wood and twigs the Swedes had piled against the defensive works before the bastion, had been set on fire.
The Young Carpenters of Freiberg|Anonymous
No arrow was shot from the walls, not a stone was thrown, not a head was seen upon the bastion.
London|Walter Besant
The remainder of his troops diverged a little to the right to escalade the breach in the Kashmir bastion.
Forty-one years in India|Frederick Sleigh Roberts
What was our surprise to see every bastion mounted with heavy guns and the walls full manned.
Heralds of Empire|Agnes C. Laut
These cries are to be given from the tree, and the man stationed on this bastion will be prepared to report them promptly to me.
The Boy Scouts at the Battle of Saratoga|Herbert Carter

British Dictionary definitions for bastion

bastion

/ (ˈbæstɪən) /

noun

a projecting work in a fortification designed to permit fire to the flanks along the face of the wall

any fortified place

a thing or person regarded as upholding or defending an attitude, principle, etcthe last bastion of opposition

Word Origin for bastion

C16: from French, from earlier bastillon bastion, from bastille Bastille

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012