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bastion

/ˈbæstʃɪn/
/ˈbæstiən/
IPA guide

Other forms: bastions

When the battle is getting long and the odds are getting longer, retreat to your bastion to regroup and prepare for the next round of fighting. A bastion is a stronghold or fortification that remains intact.

French Independence Day, or Bastille Day (July 14), commemorates the storming in 1789 of the French king's prison/fort, the Bastille. Bastion and Bastille share the root bast, which means "build." Bastion can refer to any place to which one turns for safety; that can include not only buildings but also concepts, ideas, and even beliefs. The Church, for example, is a bastion of many religious beliefs.

Definitions of bastion
  1. noun
    projecting part of a rampart or other fortification
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    type of:
    fortification, munition
    defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it
  2. noun
    a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle
    synonyms: citadel
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    examples:
    Kremlin
    citadel of Moscow, housing the offices of the Russian government
    types:
    acropolis
    the citadel in ancient Greek towns
    kremlin
    citadel of a Russian town
    type of:
    fastness, stronghold
    a strongly fortified defensive structure
  3. noun
    a group that defends a principle
    “a bastion against corruption”
    “the last bastion of communism”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    defence, defence force, defense, defense force
    an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack
Pronunciation
US
/ˈbæstʃɪn/
UK
/ˈbæstiən/
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