fort

Pluralforts

Formsforts, forting, forted

1. 1
   defensive buildingnouncountable

   A strong building or group of buildings where soldiers are stationed for defense, or a permanent army base.

   Troops withdrew to the fort as the enemy army crossed the border.

   Cannons on the fort's walls guarded the narrow entrance to the bay.

   UsageSet phrase hold the fort: look after things while others are away.

   Similarfortress, stronghold, garrison, citadel, fortification

2. 2
   play dennouncountable

   A makeshift structure put together from furniture, bedding and the like, used for playing games.

   The kids spent the rainy afternoon in a fort of blankets draped over the dining table.

   Pillow forts covered half the living room by the end of the sleepover.

   UsageName the materials: a blanket fort, a pillow fort, a fort out of chairs.

   Similarden

   Note

   Den covers similar ground, though a den suggests a hideaway more than a stronghold.

3. 3
   trading postnounhistoricalcountable

   Historically, an outlying trading post, of the kind once found across British North America.

   Each spring, Cree hunters brought their furs downriver to the fort to trade for guns and cloth.

   The chief trader ran the fort with a dozen clerks and boatmen through the long northern winter.

   Similarpost

   Note

   Historians use it for the outlying stations of British North America, which were set up for trade rather than for war. The word alone promises no soldiers, so a reader should not picture a garrisoned stronghold unless the account says so; outside that history, trading post is the plain term. Source

   Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • Historically, fort can mean an outlying trading station in British North America. en.wiktionary.org
   • Calling a trading post a fort does not necessarily imply a military installation or garrison. nps.gov

Showing meanings only. Show all 4