redoubt

/rəˈdaʊt/

Other forms: redoubts

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.

Definitions of redoubt

1. noun

   an entrenched stronghold or refuge
   type of:

   fastness, stronghold

   a strongly fortified defensive structure
2. noun

   (military) a temporary or supplementary fortification; typically square or polygonal without flanking defenses
   type of:

   fortification, munition

   defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it