Thesaurus results for FORTRESSES

fortresses

noun

plural of fortress

as in strongholds

a structure or place from which one can resist attack the boys built a snow fortress and then challenged the neighborhood kids to an in-your-face snowball fight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fortresses The structures include monasteries and fortresses that showcase the reign of the Lombards, who played a major role in the development of medieval European Christianity. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2026 The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, flourished for centuries, building elaborate fortresses, cities and other settlements. — R. Scott Rappold, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2026 The horse was found amid structures and artifacts that have revealed more details of military and daily life inside ancient Egyptian fortresses, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a Wednesday statement. — Ahmed Shawkat, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 One that could truly turn water into the biggest floating fortresses the world has ever seen. — Mike McRae 16, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026 Most of them can’t afford to outfit their own individual townhouses like armed fortresses as Swift has. — Bridget Read, Curbed, 1 Sep. 2026 The area’s landscape charms visitors with its green hills, rural farmland, and dramatic medieval castles and fortresses. — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 The two studio lots also boast dozens of soundstages; century-old fortresses that would not be easily duplicated. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Once their homes are converted into makeshift fortresses of cookie boxes, scouts like Olive, Shannon Elizabeth, Ara, and Nikki—the protagonists of the documentary—get to work selling them. — Bedatri D. Choudhury, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortresses

Noun

Republicans have increasingly been forced to play defense in the final weeks, trying to shore up their candidates in GOP strongholds nationwide as voters reel from high gas prices, Trump’s tariffs policies and the war against Iran.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand is seeking to provide an example in Iowa to other Democrats of how to win voters in Republican strongholds.

— Gabrielle M. Etzel, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of strongholds

Noun

During the seven years that it was occupied by British forces, Manhattan had been ravaged by fires, picked over by looters, covered in fortifications, and swollen with refugees.

— Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
The historic military fort overlooks the entrance to the Halifax Harbour and boasts old fortifications, historic artifacts, and unbeatable ocean views.

— Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of fortifications

Noun

But now, San Bernardino, Riverside and Kern counties — once considered bastions of affordability — are all right there with them.

— Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
According to the Polish Armed Forces, the measures include the installation of Hesco bastions — wire and mesh structures filled with sand or gravel that are easy to set up as protective barriers — along with new observation and guard posts.

— Anna Noryskiewicz, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of bastions

Noun

And yet Trump wants to turn the White House and an outpost on the Potomac into similar citadels, with little regard for why America’s capital city was named for one of its greatest examples of unadorned republican virtue.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Castellón To the north, Castellón unfolds as a mountainous marvel where medieval citadels, golden beaches, and tiny fishing villages create a landscape of contrasts, with the scent of citrus perfuming the air.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of citadels

Noun

In Stone Town, palaces, forts, and winding streets speak to centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean.

— Cherri Briggs, Travel + Leisure, 13 Oct. 2026
Also available in 6' x 6' and 8' x 8', choose your size for movie marathons, cozy campfires, ultimate blanket forts and beyond.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of forts

Browse Nearby Words

fortress

fortresses

forts

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fortresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortresses. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fortresses

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes