Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for stronghold. Search instead for strongholds.
Synonyms

stronghold

American  
[strawng-hohld, strong-] / ˈstrɔŋˌhoʊld, ˈstrɒŋ- /

noun

  1. a well-fortified place; fortress.

    Synonyms:
    bastion, bulwark

  2. a place that serves as the center of a group, as of militants or of persons holding hold holding a controversial viewpoint.

    The campus was a stronghold of liberalism.
    Synonyms:
    refuge, home, bastion, bulwark
stronghold British  
/ ˈstrɒŋˌhəʊld /

noun

  1. a defensible place; fortress

  2. a major centre or area of predominance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of stronghold

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; strong, hold 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

During the Civil War it was a Royalist stronghold used as a hideout for supporters during the Siege of Bradford.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Minicircle is based in the libertarian stronghold of Próspera, a small charter city on the island of Roatán, off the coast of Honduras, with its own laws and regulatory frameworks.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

In the Hezbollah stronghold of Beirut's southern suburbs, an AFP correspondent said a loud explosion was heard on Monday, with smoke seen rising from the area.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

The 36-year-old former mayor of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, also handily defeated Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, the 74-year-old former prime minister, in Oli’s longtime stronghold.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

After Madoc stole us from the human world, he brought us to his estates on Insmire, the Isle of Might, where the High King of Elfhame keeps his stronghold.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.