View synonyms for fort

fort

[ fawrt, fohrt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a strong or fortified place occupied by troops and usually surrounded by walls, ditches, and other defensive works; a fortress; fortification.
any permanent army post.
(formerly) a trading post.

fort.

fort

/ fɔːt /

a fortified enclosure, building, or position able to be defended against an enemy
hold the fort informal.
to maintain or guard something temporarily

Origin of fort¹

First recorded in 1550–60; from Middle French, noun use of adjective fort “strong,” from Latin fortis “strong, tough, hardy”

Origin of fort¹

C15: from Old French, from fort (adj) strong, from Latin fortis

hold the fort,
1. to defend one's position against attack or criticism.
2. to maintain the existing state of affairs.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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