1
: a projecting part of a fortification
a bastion at each of the fort's five corners
2
: a fortified area or position
bombing island bastions
3
: stronghold sense 2
the last bastion of academic standards—
Amer. Scientist
Amer. Scientist
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Bastion is related to bastille (a word now used as a general term for a prison, but probably best known as the name of the Parisian fortress-turned-prison stormed by an angry mob at the start of the French Revolution). It comes from the Italian verb bastire, which means "to build."
Examples of bastion in a Sentence
the rebel army retreated to its bastion in the mountains to regroup
Recent Examples on the Web
The current election pits former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, now a circuit court judge in conservative-leaning Waukesha County, against Susan Crawford, a judge in Dane County, the state’s liberal bastion.
—Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 28 Mar. 2025
Another common bastion of toxic positivity lies in performance feedback processes.
—Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Suddenly, the doc world — arguably the most liberal bastion of an already uniformly liberal Hollywood — is panicking over the MAGA-ification of the gatekeepers.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
President Trump and Elon Musk's plans for a wholesale reduction of the federal workforce have brought turmoil to a sector long seen as a bastion of stability.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
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Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 28 Mar. 2025
Another common bastion of toxic positivity lies in performance feedback processes.
—Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Suddenly, the doc world — arguably the most liberal bastion of an already uniformly liberal Hollywood — is panicking over the MAGA-ification of the gatekeepers.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
President Trump and Elon Musk's plans for a wholesale reduction of the federal workforce have brought turmoil to a sector long seen as a bastion of stability.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bastion
Cite this Entry
“Bastion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bastion. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bastion
noun
bas·tion
ˈbas-chən 
: some place or something that gives protection against attack
a bastion of democracy
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