fortify
Americanverb (used with object)
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fortifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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fortified,
past participle, past
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fortifying
present participle
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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)
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fortifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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fortified,
past participle, past
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fortifying
present participle
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 department dedicated resources under an office called the National Protection and Programs Directorate to help fortify advanced cyber defense systems and important infrastructure.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
She added that Kim Jong Un had "issued an order to fortify the border with an enemy state to be eternally impregnable".
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
The company needs to get Starship regularly flying to handle lunar missions for NASA, fortify its Starlink network and to deploy AI data centers in space, which Musk said could come as soon as 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
South Korea says the mines are believed to have been laid by Pyongyang to fortify its border.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Each man was weighed down with sixty pounds of equipment, including picks, shovels, and sandbags judged necessary to fortify enemy positions that, according to Haig’s plan, had already been conquered for them by the artillery.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
It builds and fortifies institutions that require political actors to reason, argue and compromise with one another—checks and balances, federalism, bicameralism and so on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
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
Every hour between the premiere and finale fortifies our understanding of all the Enterprise crew stands to lose if the Gorn were to defeat them.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2023
This fortifies the inversion as it squeezes downward on the marine layer.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2023
From the first day out he isolates and fortifies himself against the very things that travel alone can give.
From Prowling about Panama by George A. Miller
These communities often constructed fortified sites, and strategically located settlements controlling surrounding territories.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
If anything, adversity seems only to have fortified these musicians, which may in part account for Mr. Noseda’s decision in March 2025 to renew his contract with the NSO through 2030-31, its centennial season.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The items are being held inside Le Freeport, a fortified storage facility, where the BBC's Vandhna Bhan was allowed inside for a look.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Iodized table salt is mined from underground deposits, processed to remove other minerals and fortified with iodine, which is important for thyroid health and proper hormone production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Some people might call it a tree house, but that would insult its fortified and functional nature.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
City officials have been frantically preparing for Rachel, building sand berms and fortifying vulnerable areas with sandbags.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
President George W. Bush later that month vowed to pursue fixes like fortifying cockpit doors and “technology to enable controllers to take over distressed aircraft and land it by remote control.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Japan is slowly beefing up its military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, and has spent years fortifying vulnerable islands stretching down to Taiwan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 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
Lander impressed her mightily, every one of his visits fortifying her for days after.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
