fort

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fort^¹

/fɔɹt/ US
/fɔːt/ UK
/fo(ː)ɹt/
/foət/

Sounds like forte (one pronunciation), fought (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger), thought (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger, th-fronting) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)t

Where it comes from

From Middle English fort, from Middle French fort (“strong”) (adjective use is from Old French). Doublet of fortis and forte.

noun forts

A fortified defensive structure stationed with troops.
Similar: bastion, bulwark, bunker, castle, citadel, donjon, fortification, fortress, foxhole, keep, motte and bailey, rampart
Any permanent army post.
Similar: air base, armory, arsenal, base, camp, headquarters, supply depot, watchtower
historical An outlying trading-station, as in British North America.
A structure improvised from furniture, bedding, etc., for playing games. The kids built a fort out of chairs and pillows.
Similar: den

verb forts · forting · forted

To create a fort, fortifications, a strong point, or a redoubt.
Similar: fort up

Fort^²

proper noun

A surname.
A district of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: fortress, fortify, garrison, fort up, stronghold, citadel, castle, fortification, bulwark, bunker, building, cabin, place, shack, outpost, steep

Translations

Every language

noun fortified defensive structure stationed with troops

Español	fuerte, fortín
한국어	요새 yosae
日本語	要塞 yōsai
中文	要塞 yàosài, 碉堡 diāobǎo, 城堡 chéngbǎo, 堡壘 /堡垒 bǎolěi, 炮臺 /炮台 pàotái
हिन्दी	क़िला qilā, कोट koṭ
Português	forte
Français	fort
Deutsch	Festung, Fort
Italiano	forte, fortezza, fortilizio, fortino, bicocca, piazzaforte
Русский	форт fort
Tiếng Việt	pháo đài
العربية	قَلْعَة qalʕa, حِصْن ḥiṣn

noun any permanent army post

Deutsch	Stützpunkt

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Cite this

MLA

"fort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fort. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

fort. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fort

Chicago

"fort." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fort.

BibTeX

@misc{fort_2026,
  title = {fort},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fort},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}