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View synonyms for fortress

fortress

[ fawr-tris ]

noun

  1. a large fortified place; a fort or group of forts, often including a town; citadel.
  2. any place of exceptional security; stronghold.


fortress

/ ˈfɔːtrɪs /

noun

  1. a large fort or fortified town
  2. a place or source of refuge or support
“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


verb

  1. tr to protect with or as if with a fortress
“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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fortress1

1300–50; Middle English forteresse < Old French < Vulgar Latin *fortaricia (compare Medieval Latin fortalitia ), equivalent to Latin fort ( is ) strong + -ar-, formative of uncertain meaning +- icia -ice
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fortress1

C13: from Old French forteresse , from Medieval Latin fortalitia , from Latin fortis strong
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Example Sentences

Some lawmakers bristled at the idea that protecting the Capitol from rioters would require turning the Capitol into a partial fortress.

It is unclear if such efforts are the work of individuals aiming to disrupt the inauguration, or merely curious passersby documenting the fortress that has sprung up across downtown.

The more quickly a fortress of immunity is built, the easier it is to thwart the virus as it hits blockade after blockade.

From Time

The constant monitoring of common space is corrosive on its own terms because it breeds paranoia and gives our infrastructure the veneer of a fortress.

The rebels defended themselves from within an improvised fortress but ultimately were no match for their captors’ army.

From Ozy

After all, we have constructed Fortress America at enormous cost.

Each of us believes what we choose to believe, and facts have become bricks to shore up the fortress of our own biases.

It was a ponderous labyrinth of bolts, locks, and steel doors, making it an almost impregnable fortress.

On my way back into town, I walked by the fortress of tents surrounding the harbor, readying for the yacht show.

The ancient Grande Mosque and Kasbah fortress line the main plaza square.

The garrison of the town and fortress was nearly three thousand strong.

The governor of the fortress was provided with a safe residence in Egypt, and an annual pension of 75,000 piasters.

While the fortress was undermining at home, they were not idle, who were preparing to storm it from abroad.

At Stettin, during the armistice, he entered the fortress and tried to seduce the governor, an ex-Jacobin and erstwhile friend.

The enemy was confident that any attempt on the fortress must be preceded by the passage of the river by the whole French army.

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