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stronghold

American  
[strawng-hohld, strong-] / ˈstrɔŋˌhoʊld, ˈstrɒŋ- /

noun

  1. a well-fortified place; fortress.

    Synonyms:
    bastion, bulwark

  2. a place that serves as the center of a group, as of militants or of persons holding hold holding a controversial viewpoint.

    The campus was a stronghold of liberalism.
    Synonyms:
    refuge, home, bastion, bulwark
stronghold British  
/ ˈstrɒŋˌhəʊld /

noun

  1. a defensible place; fortress

  2. a major centre or area of predominance

"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 stronghold

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; strong, hold 1

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.

Minicircle is based in the libertarian stronghold of Próspera, a small charter city on the island of Roatán, off the coast of Honduras, with its own laws and regulatory frameworks.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

AFPTV's live broadcast showed a cloud of smoke over the southern suburbs, which are considered a stronghold of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Not only did his party, the CPN-UML, come third in the election, Oli was beaten decisively by Shah in the Jhapa 5 constituency - a former stronghold for the 74-year-old.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

The 36-year-old former mayor of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, also handily defeated Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, the 74-year-old former prime minister, in Oli’s longtime stronghold.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

The two levels of reality reminded him of the Titan stronghold on Mount Othrys - a disorienting maze of black marble walls that randomly melted into shadow and solidified again.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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.