castles

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Large strong buildings with thick walls and towers, built in the past to protect people from attack.

   Grammar: Regular plural noun; use 'a castle' for one and 'castles' for two or more.

   Patterns

   • build a castle
   • visit a castle
   • a medieval castle

   The old castles along the river are popular with tourists.

   We walked around the ruins of two castles in one afternoon.

   Many castles were built on hills so that guards could see enemies coming.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   In chess, the pieces shaped like a tower that can move any number of squares straight ahead or sideways.

   Grammar: Usually called 'rooks' in modern chess books, but 'castles' is still common in informal play.

   Patterns

   • move a castle
   • a castle on the board

   He moved his castles to the middle of the board.

   In this opening, both castles are still in their starting squares.

Word forms

Common combinations

medieval castle

The medieval castle has a deep moat around it.

castle wall

We climbed the castle wall to get a view of the town.

castle gate

The castle gate was closed at sunset.

build a castle

The king decided to build a castle near the coast.

sandcastle

The children made a sandcastle on the beach.

Synonyms and how they differ

fortress

A fortress is a military stronghold and may be more modern or purely defensive; a castle is often also a home for a ruler.

palace

A palace is a grand home for royalty but is not usually fortified; a castle has defensive walls.

stronghold

A stronghold is any secure place, not necessarily a stone building with towers.

Word family

castle noun

One such building.

castellated adjective

Having battlements like a castle.

castellan noun

The governor of a castle.

Commonly confused: castles or hostel?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “castles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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