Meaning & use
bastion
Last updated
A place, group, or institution that strongly defends or preserves a particular principle, activity, or way of life; originally, a fortified structure projecting from a fortress wall.
See it in a sentence
The small college remained a bastion of traditional liberal arts education.
Soldiers reinforced the bastion to withstand the coming siege.
A note on using this word
Today "bastion" is used mostly in its figurative sense (a bastion of free speech, democracy, etc.), even though its origin is a literal military fortification.
Words with a similar meaning
strongholdfortress
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bastion”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.