bulwark [boo l -werk, -wawrk, buhl -]
Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for bulwark on Thesaurus.com 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. Show More
to fortify or protect with a bulwark; secure by or as if by a fortification. Show More
Origin of bulwark 1375–1425; late Middle English bulwerk, probably <
Middle Dutch bolwerc, equivalent to
bol(l)e bole1 +
werk work (noun); cf.
boulevard Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for bulwark mainstay ,
bastion ,
fortress ,
redoubt ,
stronghold ,
parapet ,
barrier ,
protection ,
partition ,
buffet ,
citadel ,
guard ,
defense ,
embankment ,
rampart ,
security ,
safeguard ,
buttress ,
fort ,
outwork Examples 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 .
We told these chaps we were deserters from the Bulwark , 74, and begged them to help us along.
Hector, the bulwark of Troy, had fallen, and the ruin of the city was at hand.
I returned on deck, where, leaning on the bulwark , I scanned the distance.
When he had succeeded, he walked over to where the girl leaned on the bulwark .
British Dictionary definitions for 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 Show More
(tr) to defend or fortify with or as if with a bulwark Show More
Word Origin for bulwark C15: via Dutch from Middle High German bolwerk , from bol plank, bole 1 + werk work
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for bulwark n. early 15c., from Middle Dutch bulwerke or Middle High German bolwerc , probably from bole "plank, tree trunk" (from Proto-Germanic *bul- , from PIE root *bhel- (2) "to blow, swell;" see bole ) + werc "work" (see work (n.)). Figurative sense is from 1570s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
