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’.