fortify
verb (used with object)
to protect or strengthen against attack; surround or provide with defensive military works.
fortifying
-
present participleof fortify.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
Mr. Warrick revisits the outlaw, fortifying the story with declassified Central Intelligence Agency cables, police depositions and his own interview with Ramírez.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Writing about the fortifying effect of pairing oysters with cold white wine in “A Moveable Feast,” Ernest Hemingway declared, “I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 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
Pointedly, there was Timothy Snyder’s tidy pocket-sized handbook “On Tyranny” filled with 20 short but fortifying chapters of practical wisdom like “Do not obey in advance,” “Defend institutions” and “Believe in truth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 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
