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

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

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

Back in Burton, Al Wall and Emma Cole, brewery manager at Burton Bridge and Heritage Brewing Company, hope to preserve their history and be a "bastion of independence".

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

An AFP correspondent heard explosions as the state-run National News Agency reported strikes on the area, a Hezbollah bastion that has largely emptied of residents since war erupted last month.

From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026

“The intersection of these headwinds is resulting in an operating reality that is challenging the idea of CPG as a bastion of consistency,” the analysts say, “widening the gap between the most and least advantaged.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

Even within their bastion of privilege, Brandon is royalty—second generation at St. Joseph’s, football captain, the son of two doctors.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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

Rep. Marc Veasey, a Fort Worth Democrat, noting that Texas is far from becoming one of the country’s liberal bastions.

From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2026

Lanre’s allies had brought about the ruin of the last bastions of the empire.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• bulwark
• citadel
• fortress
• mainstay
• stronghold