fortification
noun
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In the Middle Ages, many European cities were entirely enclosed by sturdy walls, with walkways along the top and towers at intervals, designed to make an invasion impossible. A water-filled ditch, or moat, might run alongside the wall for added defense. Such defenses turned the entire city into a fort, or fortress. Over the centuries, fortifications changed steadily with the development of new weaponry. In World War II, the German fortification of the French coast included antitank barriers, bunkers, minefields, and underwater obstacles, but it wasn't enough to turn back the immense force of the Allied invasion on D-day.
Examples of fortification in a Sentence
Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 3 Apr. 2025
The Japanese then planned to construct a chain of island fortifications across the Pacific that would dissuade a U.S. counteroffensive and force an early settlement on Japanese terms.
—Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2025
Energy fortification refers to the process of enhancing energy infrastructure to meet the growing demands of AI technologies.
—Junaid Ali, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
The road-junction village is nearly 10 miles from the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, where authorities have begun digging fortifications for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, anticipating further Russian advances.
—Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fortification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fortification. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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fortification
noun
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