bastion

noun

bas·tion ˈbas-chən

Synonyms of bastion next

: a projecting part of a fortification

a bastion at each of the fort's five corners

: a fortified area or position

bombing island bastions

: stronghold sense 2

the last bastion of academic standards—

Amer. Scientist

bastioned

ˈbas-chənd

adjective

Examples of bastion in a Sentence

the rebel army retreated to its bastion in the mountains to regroup

Recent Examples on the Web While new building requirements are intended to prevent a similar tragedy, the costs are pushing some condo owners to the brink financially and jeopardizing one of the last bastions of relatively affordable housing along Florida’s coastline. —

Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 12 Aug. 2024 One of the most resilient bastions of cash use in Argentina has been gratuities at restaurants and bars. —

Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2024 This is partly because the UC Board of Regents, with authority over the state’s most elite bastions of public education, has yet to adopt rules governing antisemitism. —

Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2024 Israel is the only bastion in this benighted region preventing Iran from taking control through its terrorist proxies. —

Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for bastion

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bastion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Italian bastione, from bastia "small quadrangular fortress" (from an Upper Italian counterpart to Tuscan bastita, from feminine past participle of bastire "to build," probably borrowed from Old Occitan bastir "to weave, build," or its Gallo-Romance ancestor) + -one, augmentative suffix (going back to Latin -ō, -ōn-, suffix of nouns denoting persons with a prominent feature) — more at bastille

First Known Use

1546, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of bastion was in 1546

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bastion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bastion. Accessed 8 Sep. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

bastion

noun

bas·tion ˈbas-chən

: some place or something that gives protection against attack

a bastion of democracy

Last Updated: 27 Aug 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

memento

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

bastion

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Examples of bastion in a Sentence

Word History

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near bastion

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition