a fortified, usually walled residence, as of a prince or noble in feudal times.
the chief and strongest part of the fortifications of a medieval city.
a strongly fortified, permanently garrisoned stronghold.
a large and stately residence, especially one, with high walls and towers, that imitates the form of a medieval castle.
any place providing security and privacy.
It may be small, but my home is my castle.
Chess. the rook.
to place or enclose in or as in a castle.
Chess. to move (the king) in castling.
to move the king two squares horizontally and bring the appropriate rook to the square the king has passed over.
(of the king) to be moved in this manner.
a fortified building or set of buildings, usually permanently garrisoned, as in medieval Europe
any fortified place or structure
a large magnificent house, esp when the present or former home of a nobleman or prince
the citadel and strongest part of the fortifications of a medieval town
chess another name for rook 2
before 1000; Middle English, Old English castel < Latin castellum castellum
A castle is a huge, grand home where a king or queen might live. Almost all castles are also fortified against attacks by enemy armies. Most castles were built in the Middle Ages by royalty or other nobility. You can still visit many historic castles in Europe, most of them built of stone and including details like towers and guardhouses. You can also call the chess piece known as a "rook" a castle, for its castle-like shape. The word has an Old English root, castel, or "village."
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The Europeans made plans to meet again, this time on Feb. 12, in a Belgian castle built by the Knights Templar, for a discussion Costa slated under “a new geoeconomic context.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Celebrity outlet TMZ said that the lavish decor will include a replica castle built inside Madison Square Garden.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
"But the residual items that he doesn't want - and that the last owners of the castle don't want to take to their new house - we're selling."
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
He’ll probably put an inflatable bouncy castle in the Capitol building, and I’m actually perfectly fine with that.
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026
There’s an old shed that’s been transformed into a castle playhouse.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The team examined fuel conditions before the fires and estimated the outcomes for roughly 26,400 giant sequoias in 19 groves affected by the Castle and KNP Complex wildfires.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Castle said that, while he might criticize some of the government agency’s numbers or methodologies, he believes in the importance of the USDA, saying it’s “still the envy of the world in this sector.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Actually, this weekend we all went to the Magic Castle together, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
It no doubt keeps the brains behind many of these events awake at night as they work tirelessly to thrive – or, as Nene Valley's Castle says, to "just survive".
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
I was but a child of eight and Laertes was twelve when we moved from the village to Elsinore Castle.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
The Normans built hundreds of castles which secured their control and projected royal power.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
No, that’s not me building castles in the sky.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
When gunpowder arrived and the emerging nation-states rendered obsolete the old art of war dominated by feudal lords entrenched in their castles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
AI is essential for the popular romantasy genre where fantastical elements, from medieval castles to werewolves and fairies are common.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
On that trip, we visited a bunch of old castles, including Boldt Castle.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
Warwickshire debutant Jordan Thompson removed Abbott, caught behind, and Matt Fisher, lbw, in the penultimate over, before Gilchrist castled Foakes.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026
In the fifth game, Nepo as White hits on the unusual strategy of launching a pawn storm right in front of his castled king.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
As “Cleanness” moves forward, as if in a game of chess, positions are castled.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2020
Slowly things seemed to be turning Carlsen’s way; the kings were castled on opposite sides of the board, which often means each player will be racing to attack the other’s king.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2018
As it turned out, the old man never castled.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
It looks at first as if Nepo will have trouble finding a place for his king, but it turns out to be perfectly safe after castling long.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 11, 2023
She saved the best for last, castling Kate Cross with another beauty: full and turning just enough to beat the edge as the batter aimed a shot through the leg side.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2022
He played aggressively in the opening, eschewing a chance to trade queens early on and also not castling his king, which is the usual method to keep it safe.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2021
Broad hoops an inswinging yorker at Smith, nearly castling him.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 17, 2019
Now he has to prevent White's Knight from moving to B 5, attacking the Queen, but in doing so he weakens his King's position for the purpose of castling on the King's side.
From Hoyle's Games Modernized by Hoffmann, Louis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
