fortify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to protect or strengthen against attack; surround or provide with defensive military works.
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to furnish with a means of resisting force or standing strain or wear.
to fortify cotton with nylon.
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to make strong; impart strength or vigor to.
to fortify oneself with a good breakfast.
- Synonyms:
- reinforce, strengthen
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to increase the effectiveness of, as by additional ingredients.
to fortify a diet with vitamins; to fortify a lotion with lanolin.
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to strengthen mentally or morally.
to be fortified by religious faith.
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to confirm or corroborate.
to fortify an accusation with facts.
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Nutrition. to add one or more ingredients to (a food) to increase its nutritional content.
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to add alcohol to (wine or the like).
verb (used without object)
verb
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(also intr) to make (a place) defensible, as by building walls, digging trenches, etc
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to strengthen physically, mentally, or morally
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to strengthen, support, or reinforce (a garment, structure, etc)
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to add spirits or alcohol to (wine), in order to produce sherry, port, etc
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to increase the nutritious value of (a food), as by adding vitamins and minerals
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to support or confirm
to fortify an argument with facts
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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fortifiernoun
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refortifyverb (used with object)
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underfortifyverb (used with object)
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fortifiableadjective
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nonfortifiableadjective
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nonfortifyingadjective
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unfortifiableadjective
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fortifyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fortifysimple
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fortifiessimple
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have fortifiedperfect
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has fortifiedperfect
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am fortifyingprogressive
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are fortifyingprogressive
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is fortifyingprogressive
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have been fortifyingperfect progressive
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has been fortifyingperfect progressive
Past
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fortifiedsimple
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had fortifiedperfect
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was fortifyingprogressive
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were fortifyingprogressive
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had been fortifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fortify
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English fortifien, from Middle French fortifier, from Late Latin fortificāre, equivalent to Latin forti(s) “strong” + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
If you add nutrients to something you fortify it. Food scientists have found ways to fortify cereal, but in addition to vitamins C and D, they usually add a lot of sugar. If you strengthen your defenses, you fortify them, perhaps by adding more arms or increasing your defensive walls. Sometimes the defenses you fortify will be tangible and sometimes the word is used metaphorically to mean give courage. If a castle was originally vulnerable to attack, the owner might fortify it by adding a moat — and maybe filling it with crocodiles. If you're nervous about giving a speech, you should fortify yourself with a pep talk first.
Vocabulary lists containing fortify
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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Nutrition - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Greens made a key alliance with the Triarchy to fortify its naval forces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
Vitamin D3 has a modifying effect on the immune system that could fortify the body against viral and bacterial diseases.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026
Japan committed to a $550 billion investment program to help fortify Western economies from reliance on—and competition from—China.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Lutnick took aim at Carney’s recent efforts to fortify trade ties with China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
And so, as Jaimito snored away, Dede began devising a little exercise to distract her mind and fortify her spirit.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Prebiotic fiber, from sources like legumes, fortifies the good bacteria in your digestive system and, in turn, benefits your metabolism and immune system.
From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026
The Dodgers reacquire reliever Joe Kelly and add starter Lance Lynn from the White Sox as the team fortifies its pitching staff ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2023
A shrinking and aging population has huge implications for the economy and for national security as Japan fortifies its military to counter China’s increasingly assertive territorial ambitions.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
In a parallel to the sequence in which Bill fortifies his neighborhood, we see Joel and Ellie stock up for their road trip, grabbing clean clothes, toilet paper, deodorant and other basics.
From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2023
For despair, that fortifies some men, did make of me a coward, and I stood in constant terror of the coming of death.
From The Deemster by Caine, Hall, Sir
Speaking shortly before Monday’s attacks began, Trump further announced that the U.S. would strike Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified, underground nuclear site yet to be targeted since the war began Feb. 28.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
SEOUL—A North Korean soldier escaped across the Korean demilitarized zone, one of the world’s most fortified places, demonstrating that even Kim Jong Un’s intensified surveillance can’t completely stop his people from fleeing the regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
"And it's strength on both sides of the Atlantic, fortified by readiness, shared military capabilities and an unwavering political will," he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
“To Whom This May Concern” is Jill Scott’s way of reminding her listeners of that, fortified with the spirits and songs of Black artists who came before her.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
The university is being heavily fortified by the soldiers.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
These includes fortifying homes against wildfires, replanting fire-ravaged forests and thinning out vegetation with prescribed burns, goat grazing and manual thinning with heavy machinery to reduce the intensity of potential fires.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
In addition, in central Gaza, the Israeli military has been fortifying the line with a deep trench and high sand berms along its length, satellite images show.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
Iran has been fortifying an underground complex near one of its nuclear facilities, according to analysis of new satellite images.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
In his 2021 book, “The Real Anthony Fauci,” Kennedy defines this as “preventing disease by fortifying the immune system through nutrition and by reducing exposures to environmental toxins and stresses.”
From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2025
The forest itself, ten miles across, was a tangled thicket of trees and thorny underbrush honeycombed with German tunnels, concrete dugouts, and machine-gun nests that the Germans had spent four years fortifying.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
