bulwark
- a wall of earth or other material built for defense; rampart.
- any protection against external danger, injury, or annoyance: The new dam was a bulwark against future floods.
- any person or thing giving strong support or encouragement in time of need, danger, or doubt: Religion was his bulwark.
- Usually bulwarks. Nautical. a solid wall enclosing the perimeter of a weather or main deck for the protection of persons or objects on deck.
- to fortify or protect with a bulwark; secure by or as if by a fortification.
Origin of bulwark
Synonyms for bulwark
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for bulwark
mainstay, bastion, fortress, redoubt, stronghold, parapet, barrier, protection, partition, buffet, citadel, guard, defense, embankment, rampart, security, safeguard, buttress, fort, outworkExamples from the Web for bulwark
Contemporary Examples of bulwark
The German Panzers fought with suicidal ferocity, storming the hill until it was rimmed with a bulwark of bodies.
First, however weak the court may be as a bulwark against majoritarian tyranny, it is better than no bulwark at all.
What we most wanted in a policy was a bulwark against financial devastation from a catastrophic illness.
When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark.
Iran and Hezbollah, both Shiite, see Assad as a bulwark against Sunni influence.
Historical Examples of bulwark
"I prythee that you will pardon me," said the knight, clutching his way along the bulwark.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
We told these chaps we were deserters from the Bulwark, 74, and begged them to help us along.
Ned MyersJames Fenimore Cooper
Hector, the bulwark of Troy, had fallen, and the ruin of the city was at hand.
Old Greek Folk Stories Told AnewJosephine Preston Peabody
I returned on deck, where, leaning on the bulwark, I scanned the distance.
My Double LifeSarah Bernhardt
When he had succeeded, he walked over to where the girl leaned on the bulwark.
One Day's CourtshipRobert Barr
bulwark
- a wall or similar structure used as a fortification; rampart
- a person or thing acting as a defence against injury, annoyance, etc
- (often plural) nautical a solid vertical fencelike structure along the outward sides of a deck
- a breakwater or mole
- (tr) to defend or fortify with or as if with a bulwark