redoubt

¹ American  

[ri-dout] / rɪˈdaʊt /

noun

1. Fortification.

   1. an isolated work forming a complete enclosure of any form, used to defend a prominent point.

   2. an independent earthwork built within a permanent fortification to reinforce it.

2. any safe and secure place or situation; refuge; stronghold.

   Lebanon has represented one of the last redoubts of Christianity in the Middle East.

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Redoubt ² American  

[ri-dout, ree-dout] / rɪˈdaʊt, ˈri daʊt /

noun

1. Mount, an active volcano in S Alaska, on the Alaska Peninsula: highest peak in the Aleutian Range. 10,197 feet (3,108 meters).

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redoubt British  

/ rɪˈdaʊt /

noun

1. an outwork or detached fieldwork defending a pass, hilltop, etc

2. a temporary defence work built inside a fortification as a last defensive position

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Etymology

Origin of redoubt

First recorded in 1600–10; from French redoute, from Italian ridotto, from Late Latin reductus “a refuge,” noun use of past participle of Latin redūcere “to lead back”; see reduce

Explanation

A redoubt is a fort or retreat, like a temporary military shelter. Want to see a redoubt? Go to the US Military Academy at West Point where there are redoubts from the Revolutionary War. It’s also spelled "redout." Redoubts were often built around existing fortifications out of earth or stone to protect the most vulnerable soldiers outside the main area. Redoubt means "place of retreat," and a figurative redoubt might be the comfort you get from your group of friends or even your own certainty about the truth of your beliefs.

Example Sentences

The staging of the former’s broomstick flights is “Top Gun” for tween girls, and her castle in the sky is a strangely scary redoubt somewhere between Tim Burton and a German Expressionist film.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

The drills also included a component to the east of Taiwan - the island's rugged east coast on the other side of a mountain range has long been its military redoubt.

From BBC • May 23, 2024

At the installation — a cliff-side redoubt overlooking vast deforested areas and topped with a gigantic transmitter — Wenjie quickly learns the truth.

From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2024

Washington state could become its own time island, a sort of chronological redoubt.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2023

He could continue to sleep in the birch, where, if not completely protected, he had the advantage of a high redoubt, the upper hand in case of a conflict.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

Related Words

• barrier
• citadel
• garrison
• rampart