fortress

/ˈfɔrtrəs/

/ˈfɔtrɪs/

Other forms: fortresses

A fortress is a large building or complex of buildings used as a military stronghold. In a military sense, a fortress is often called a “fort."

From its original sense of stronghold, the word fortress has stretched to include strongholds in a more figurative sense. Martin Luther used fortress to describe unfailing spiritual support when he wrote, “A mighty fortress is our God.” When someone has a hard time trusting others, you might say they have retreated to a "fortress of their own making."

Definitions of fortress

1. noun

   a fortified defensive structure
   synonyms: fort

   examples:

   Alhambra

   a fortified Moorish palace built near Granada by Muslim kings in the Middle Ages

   Bastille

   a fortress built in Paris in the 14th century and used as a prison in the 17th and 18th centuries; it was destroyed July 14, 1789 at the start of the French Revolution

   Tower of London

   a fortress in London on the Thames; used as a palace and a state prison and now as a museum containing the crown jewels

   Machu Picchu

   Inca fortress city in the Andes in Peru discovered in 1911; it may have been built in the 15th century

   types:

   alcazar

   any of various Spanish fortresses or palaces built by the Moors

   martello tower

   a circular masonry fort for coastal defence

   presidio

   a fortress established in the southwestern United States by the Spanish in order to protect their missions and other holdings

   sconce

   a small fort or earthwork defending a ford, pass, or castle gate

   type of:

   defence, defense, defensive structure

   a structure used to defend against attack