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Martello tower

American  
[mahr-tel-oh] / mɑrˈtɛl oʊ /
Or martello tower

noun

Fortification.
  1. a circular, towerlike fort with guns on the top.


Martello tower British  
/ mɑːˈtɛləʊ /

noun

  1. a small circular tower for coastal defence, formerly much used in Europe

"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

Etymology

Origin of Martello tower

Named after Cape Mortella, Corsica, where a tower of this kind was taken by British forces in 1794

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:

“Ulysses” begins in the Martello tower in Sandycove, Dublin, where Gogarty and Joyce were briefly housemates.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 24, 2026

Much of it takes place along the coast, overlooking the Irish Sea, including key scenes shot at rocky bathing spot Forty Foot, in Sandycove, below the Martello tower where James Joyce stayed and “Ulysses” opens.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 19, 2022

I leave the bike by the Martello tower and walk up the beach towards the abandoned village.

From The Verge Mar. 31, 2018

We’re shacked up just on that hill by the old Martello tower.

From The New Yorker Aug. 5, 2013

These symptoms rendered it advisable that measures of permanent defence should be adopted, and on the 18th of August the present Martello tower was consequently planned and the building actively commenced.

From A Voyage Round the World, Volume I Including Travels in Africa, Asia, Australasia, America, etc., etc., from 1827 to 1832 by Holman, James

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