bastille
1
9.9
- noun
- /bæˈstiːl/
- Archaic
- This morning we've just walked halfway across Paris to see the Bastille prison, which was an essential part of the French Revolution, and it's not here.
Examples
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It would be a crime to lock him in the bastille.
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We may all wind up in the bastille.
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For this, I would not put him in the bastille.
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Before anyone argues that I'm "giving up," how many Bastilles have you stormed lately?
Blog text (5) -
Are they the abode of apparitions across the ages, legendary kings of crime, legendary Napoleons, Bastilles, and legendary pirates knighted by queens?
Fiction book (1997) -
The political prisoner was held in a bastille known for its harsh conditions.
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After the uprising, many activists were thrown into a bastille by the oppressive regime.
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She described the old building as a bastille that trapped anyone who entered.
Synonyms
86
5.6
A place or situation that makes someone feel trapped
Antonyms
Idioms
2
9.1
To attack or strongly challenge a powerful organization, for example a government
Compounds
6
2.9
A national holiday in France on July 14 that marks the storming of the Bastille in 1789
How Harsh
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bastille comes from French and originally meant a 'small fortress' or 'stronghold', like the English word bastion which also means a defensive place. The famous Bastille in Paris was a fortress that became a prison, so bastille now often means a harsh, political jail or a symbol of oppressive government.