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Glite Dictionary
🏰 To build defenses 💪 To make stronger 🥤 To add nutrients 🍷 To add alcohol
to fortify

to fortify

15 6.2
Make a place or group stronger by building defenses
  • verb
  • /ˈfɔːrtɪfaɪ/
: fortificar
  • The army will fortify the base with additional defenses before the proposed attack.
  • fortified walls
  • fortified positions
  • fortified bases

I think it ISIS was much more fortified than we we had anticipated.

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Examples

  • The border is heavily fortified from sea to sea.

    The Humanity Bureau (2017)

  • People from all social classes fortify their homes and change their habits.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Well, we have to fortify it ahead of time.

    Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

  • By what means shall we fortify against it?

  • I helped her fortify her cabin.

    Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)

  • These guys are still trying to fortify their defenses here and all is quiet on the southern front right now.

  • Has he fortified his position?

    The Last Samurai (2003)

  • My men have fortified the entrance with enough artillery to make our last stand.

    The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

  • The men decided that the meeting house should be fortified; they would put in portholes and strengthen the walls.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Undeterred, the general set up a fortified seaside camp on the shore.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to strengthen
vsto fortify
296 3.0

To make muscles, relationships, or groups stronger

is narrower and military focused, adding defenses or preparing for attack
to entrench
vsto fortify
  • Specialized
13 7.2

To put soldiers in a protected position behind earth or sandbags

is more general, meaning to strengthen broadly rather than occupy fixed defenses
to build up
vsto fortify
  • Specialized
10 5.7

Make soldiers and weapons stronger before a fight

is focused on making a place or group physically stronger through defensive works
to fort
vsto fortify
  • Archaic
1 9.6

To hide in a strong place to stay safe

is broader, applying to various ways of making defenses, not only building
to bulwark
vsto fortify
1 8.2

To protect someone or something by giving strong support like a wall

is more about strengthening places or groups specifically for defense or attack
to embattle
vsto fortify
  • Specialized
1 9.2

To prepare a place or group to fight and defend against attack

is about making a place or group stronger generally rather than only for battle

Antonyms

to weaken
213 2.8

To make people and things less strong or effective

How Fortified

to entrench
  • Specialized
13 7.2
to fortify
15 6.2
to defend
774 1.3
to guard
41 1.3

Surface Forms

fortify infinitive
fortified past
fortified past participle
fortifying present participle
fortifies third person singular

Morphology

fortify = fort (transparent) = fort + ify

The verb is formed by adding the productive verb-forming suffix '-ify' to 'fort' to mean 'make or render strong/fortified', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

The word fortify comes from the Latin word fortis meaning 'strong', and is related to fort 'a strong building'. So to fortify a place is to make it like a fort, adding walls or defences to make it 'stronger'.