bastion

American  

[bas-chuhn, -tee-uhn] / ˈbæs tʃən, -ti ən /

noun

• bastions
  plural

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

2. a fortified place.

   Synonyms:

   citadel, stronghold, bulwark, fort, fortress

3. anything seen as preserving or protecting some quality, condition, etc..

   a bastion of solitude; a bastion of democracy.

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bastion British  

/ ˈbæstɪən /

noun

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

2. any fortified place

3. a thing or person regarded as upholding or defending an attitude, principle, etc

   the last bastion of opposition

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bastionary
  adjective
• bastioned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bastions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bastion

1590–1600; < Middle French < Italian bastione, equivalent to Upper Italian bastí ( a ) bastion, originally, fortified, built (cognate with Italian bastita, past participle of bastire to build < Germanic; see baste ¹) + -one augmentative suffix

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Explanation

When the battle is getting long and the odds are getting longer, retreat to your bastion to regroup and prepare for the next round of fighting. A bastion is a stronghold or fortification that remains intact. French Independence Day, or Bastille Day (July 14), commemorates the storming in 1789 of the French king's prison/fort, the Bastille. Bastion and Bastille share the root bast, which means "build." Bastion can refer to any place to which one turns for safety; that can include not only buildings but also concepts, ideas, and even beliefs. The Church, for example, is a bastion of many religious beliefs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bastion bastions

Home prices in America have changed dramatically over the last century — but the Midwest has remained a bastion of affordability through it all.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

This is Liverpool, the supposed bastion of stability.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

Small towns, villages and hamlets -- home to around half of the central European nation's 9.5 million people -- have long been the bastion of the ruling Fidesz party.

From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026

Juries are a fundamental bastion of democracy, and it’s beyond dangerous to allow powerful and wealthy corporations to shield themselves from ever having to face jurors’ judgment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026

A second memo, from a captain, seemed aimed at shaking up the tower personnel, who were no doubt a bastion of complacency.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Leo's predecessor Francis largely overlooked many of Europe's traditional bastions of Catholicism where, like Spain, religious observance has been falling rapidly.

From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026

National coordinators said there has been increased interest in smaller communities, including Republican bastions, with higher-than-expected attendance during Saturday’s protests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2026

With record-keeping fees under pressure, he said in an interview that managed accounts are “one of the last bastions of good revenue production,” adding that record-keepers “love” participants enrolling because “the revenue is much better.”

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026

Yet many of his strongest bastions of support lie in central Brooklyn, according to voting and donation records.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025

By 1906, even the best-guarded political bastions had been stormed—twenty-nine seats in Parliament had fallen to the Labour Party—sending spasms of anxiety through English high society.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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Related Words

• bulwark
• citadel
• fortress
• mainstay
• stronghold

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