Synonyms

fortify

American

[fawr-tuh-fahy] / ˈfɔr təˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to protect or strengthen against attack; surround or provide with defensive military works.
to furnish with a means of resisting force or standing strain or wear.

to fortify cotton with nylon.
to make strong; impart strength or vigor to.

to fortify oneself with a good breakfast.

Synonyms:

reinforce, strengthen
to increase the effectiveness of, as by additional ingredients.

to fortify a diet with vitamins; to fortify a lotion with lanolin.
to strengthen mentally or morally.

to be fortified by religious faith.

Synonyms:

embolden, hearten
to confirm or corroborate.

to fortify an accusation with facts.
Nutrition. to add one or more ingredients to (a food) to increase its nutritional content.
to add alcohol to (wine or the like).

verb (used without object)

to set up defensive works; erect fortifications.

fortify British

/ ˈfɔːtɪˌfaɪ /

verb

(also intr) to make (a place) defensible, as by building walls, digging trenches, etc
to strengthen physically, mentally, or morally
to strengthen, support, or reinforce (a garment, structure, etc)
to add spirits or alcohol to (wine), in order to produce sherry, port, etc
to increase the nutritious value of (a food), as by adding vitamins and minerals
to support or confirm

to fortify an argument with facts

"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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing fortify

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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:

fortify fortifies fortified fortifying

Since 2024, there has been a fivefold increase in the number of North Korean troops breaching the border with the South in order to fortify it, according to Seoul’s military.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Landing on a pebble beach, the Normans fortify Hastings, ravage the countryside, and feast on stolen meat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

But Christian Rood of LeydenJar says companies like his can fortify Europe's position in what has become a global contest.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Hendrick represents a significant addition to Hitschler’s defense and should immediately fortify the center of the Bruins’ front seven.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

He drove iron stakes into the ground to fortify the chicken coop against future mink attacks and treasured the few eggs he gathered every morning.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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

Water may be scarce, and climate change may be ushering in more extreme droughts, but this landscape fortifies them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2024

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

Philip II., laws framed by, 18; fortifies Cuba, 54.

From Cuba Past and Present by Richard Davey

The DMZ is one of the world's most heavily fortified frontiers, and landmine incidents have previously heightened tensions between the two countries.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 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

For the binder, I whisked together an egg, a little buttermilk and chicken stock that I’d fortified with an extra spoonful of Better Than Bouillon and an absurd amount of black pepper.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

"Confidence and reciprocity are beginning to take shape to open the door to engagement on the most difficult issues," says Gagnon whom we meet inside the UN's vast, heavily fortified compound.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the days after August 13, the East Germans fortified the border with watchtowers and bright floodlights—just like a prison.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

It is primarily tasked with repairing and fortifying the city’s more than 210,000 streetlamps — a frequent target of copper wire thieves — and maintaining its network of electrical vehicle charging stations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

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

There are limits to physically fortifying the cables.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

Japan plays a critical role: It hosts major American bases and has been steadily fortifying its southwestern flank, a chain of islands stretching from Okinawa to Yonaguni, some 70 miles from Taiwan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

I had worked upon my hands and knees, stooped it seemed for days, fortifying Breed’s and Winter’s Hills, raising works upon the scarred streets of Roxbury near Boston Neck.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023