Masada

American  

[muh-sah-duh, muh-tsah-dah] / məˈsɑ də, mə tsɑˈdɑ /

noun

1. a mountaintop fortress in E Israel on the SW shore of the Dead Sea: site of Zealots' last stand against the Romans during revolt of a.d. 66–73.

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Masada British  

/ məˈsɑːdə /

noun

1. an ancient mountaintop fortress in Israel, 400 m (1300 ft) above the W shore of the Dead Sea: the last Jewish stronghold during a revolt in Judaea (66–73 _ad ). Besieged by the Romans for a year, almost all of the inhabitants killed themselves rather than surrender. The site is an Israeli national monument

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Masada

Masada, in the Judean Desert, is where Jewish rebels chose death over surrender to Rome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

My brother had his bar mitzvah at the mountaintop fortress of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea.

From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2025

The problem, of course, is that the Jews lost the battle of Masada; the last holdout of rebels died by mass suicide rather than surrender.

From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2024

He went on to win an Emmy award in 1981 for outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or special for his portrayal of Pomponius Falco in the television miniseries Masada.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2022

Some of the boldest of the war party one day seized the fortress of Masada, near the Dead Sea, built by Jonathan the Maccabean, and fortified by Herod.

From Ancient States and Empires by Lord, John