fort

[ fawrt, fohrt ]

/ fɔrt, foʊrt /

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noun

a strong or fortified place occupied by troops and usually surrounded by walls, ditches, and other defensive works; a fortress; fortification.

any permanent army post.

(formerly) a trading post.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about fort

hold the fort,

to defend one's position against attack or criticism.
to maintain the existing state of affairs.

Origin of fort

First recorded in 1550–60; from Middle French, noun use of adjective fort “strong,” from Latin fortis “strong, tough, hardy”

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH fort

fort , forte (see pronunciation note at forte¹)

Words nearby fort

for sure, forswear, forsworn, Forsyth, forsythia, fort, Fortaleza, fortalice, Fortas, Fort Belvoir, Fort Benjamin Harrison

Other definitions for fort (2 of 2)

fort.

abbreviation

fortification.

fortified.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fort in a sentence

With the right push, it could take you to just about anywhere — to distant tribal forts, to army bases in Waziristan and to hidden corners of the cities.
Revisiting Pakistan’s tangle of contradictions and violence|Bilal Qureshi|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
Digging into Des Moines HistoryDes Moines traces its modern-day history back to May of 1843, when Captain James Allen supervised construction of a fort at the place where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers merge.
Des Moines : Come and See All that The Capital City has to Offer!|LGBTQ-Editor|November 22, 2020|No Straight News
The blanket-draped fort served as the actress’s workstation, with a host of audio producers providing directions via video conference.
‘Call of Duty’ voice actors spent the summer on video calls like the rest of us|Mike Hume|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
This year, when Davis was asked to hold down the fort without James on the floor in the regular season, the Lakers weren’t anything special, getting outscored by 3 points per 100 possessions, per NBA Advanced Stats.
LeBron And AD Are The Heroes. But The Sum Of This Lakers Club Was More Than Its Superstar Parts.|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 12, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

While the liberation of towns and forts is rewarding, it does get repetitive.
In Ghost of Tsushima, Honor Is Your Greatest Foe|Patrick Lucas Austin|July 14, 2020|Time
And on Nov. 22, 1963, President Kennedy was offered an “Open Road” by the city of Fort Worth, as was its tradition.
My Love Letter to the Stetson|Mark McKinnon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My choice is that it should be required reading by those who run the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vincent Fort, a state senator from Georgia, saw big differences between ALEC and SIX.
The Left’s Answer to ALEC|Ben Jacobs|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
America already has a cereal cafe, Cereality, which has a store in Virginia and at the Dallas Fort Worth airport.
Cereal Cafe’s Big Bowl of Hate|David Levesley|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Take the case of Herx v. Diocese of Fort Wayne, an employment discrimination suit in the Seventh Circuit.
Catholic Church: Religious Freedom Trumps Civil Rights|Jay Michaelson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After an eight weeks' siege, a breach having been made, the city surrendered, and a month later the fort followed the example.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The Mexican artillery soon laid a part of the fort in ruins.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
They soon retired, however, as the Fort was in danger of being attacked from another side.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He had been wont to do this on other occasions, because the enemy with nine ships was within sight of the fort.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
De l peu d'heures il mourut entre mes mains fort chrestiennement.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various

British Dictionary definitions for fort

fort

/ (fɔːt) /

noun

a fortified enclosure, building, or position able to be defended against an enemy

hold the fort informal to maintain or guard something temporarily

Word Origin for fort

C15: from Old French, from fort (adj) strong, from Latin fortis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with fort

fort

see hold the fort.

fort

Idioms about fort

Origin of fort

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH fort

Words nearby fort

Other definitions for fort (2 of 2)

Words related to fort

How to use fort in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fort

Word Origin for fort

Other Idioms and Phrases with fort