fortress
noun/ˈfɔːtrəs/
/ˈfɔːrtrəs/
- a building or place that has been made stronger and protected against attack
- a fortress town enclosed by four miles of ramparts
- Fear of terrorist attack has turned the conference centre into a fortress.
Extra ExamplesTopics Historyc1, Buildingsc1- The fortress fell after a nine-day siege.
- They took refuge in the fortress.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- great
- impenetrable
- impregnable
- …
- attack
- besiege
- lay siege to
- …
- fall
- city
- town
- walls
- …
- in a/the fortress
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French forteresse ‘strong place’, based on Latin fortis ‘strong’.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
fortress