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Definition of fortress noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

fortress

noun
 
/ˈfɔːtrəs/
 
/ˈfɔːrtrəs/
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  1. 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 Examples
    • The fortress fell after a nine-day siege.
    • They took refuge in the fortress.
    Topics Historyc1, Buildingsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • great
    • impenetrable
    • impregnable
    verb + fortress
    • attack
    • besiege
    • lay siege to
    fortress + verb
    • fall
    fortress + noun
    • city
    • town
    • walls
    preposition
    • in a/​the fortress
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French forteresse ‘strong place’, based on Latin fortis ‘strong’.
See fortress in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
trait
noun
 
 
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