stronghold
Americannoun
-
a defensible place; fortress
-
a major centre or area of predominance
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of stronghold
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at strong, hold 1
Explanation
A stronghold is a building or other structure that is safe from attack. A fortress is a perfect example of a stronghold. A castle or fort surrounded by stone walls and moats is one kind of stronghold; they are built to keep the people or valuables inside them safe from invading armies. You might build a stronghold of driftwood and rocks around your prized sand sculpture on the beach, or even a figurative stronghold around yourself — to guard against having your feelings hurt.
Vocabulary lists containing stronghold
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
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The High King
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Pay Attention, Carter Jones
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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:
Places like Wigan - in Greater Manchester, Burnham's stronghold - often languish next to the bigger cities in whose shadow they sit.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The June cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel came with a few Hezbollah men still holed up in two tunnels outside the city of Nabatiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The Royals prevailed 28-23, and the following week knocked off Orlando’s Edgewater High, a public stronghold with NFL alumni.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
His stronghold is the Chapare region in central Bolivia, which is now a potential flashpoint.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
My avatar needed a stronghold, and I didn’t want any neighbors, so I’d bought the cheapest planetoid I could find—this tiny barren asteroid in Sector Fourteen.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Nigeria has been fighting a jihadist conflict that over the years has seen armed Islamist groups spread and fracture outside their strongholds in the northeast.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
According to the indictment, the Hoovers had strongholds over specific hotels and motels in their territory, including the Stadium Inn & Spas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
How far does Zohran Mamdani’s political approach and appeal carry beyond liberal strongholds in city centers?
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
Another U.S. goal is to aggressively counter anti-American propaganda by Islamist extremist groups, which the administration says have been driven from strongholds in the Middle East and are “exploiting the ungoverned spaces” across Africa.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
William was in Europe, part of a high-level Allied mission to scour Nazi strongholds for intelligence secrets.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
