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. Nautical.,  Usually bulwarks. 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

Shannon is baffled by her self-denial, but Hannah has attained an understanding of home not as a physical place but as a spiritual bulwark, born out of love and patient respect.

From Los Angeles Times

Humor is a crucial bulwark of a free society.

From Los Angeles Times

The US has long viewed India as a bulwark against China's dominance in the Indo-Pacific region, which ensured bipartisan support for Delhi in Washington.

From BBC

“It’s the bulwark of privacy protection against policing,” said professor Orin S. Kerr of Stanford Law School, whose work on 4th Amendment injunctions was cited in the Justice Department’s briefing.

From Los Angeles Times

Supposed state sovereignty was another bulwark in protecting slavery.

From Salon

Related Words

• bastion 
• fortress 
• mainstay 
• redoubt