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
In other words, could the question at the outset of the novel be applied today to the United States—a bastion of democratic strength being ripped apart by an erratic tyrant?
Years ago, in one of his lucid columns, Vargas Llosa described the election of Donald Trump as a form of national suicide.
—Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
The presentation was in response to the more-than-rumors that The Rock — once a rite of passage in the sport of racing, a bastion of small-town Americana and NASCAR — was going to be removed from the NASCAR schedule.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2025
The city was known as a bastion of some of the earliest and fiercest resistance against the Assad regime.
—Jawad Rizkallah, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
In recent years, Gov. Ron DeSantis has helped install political allies at the helm of public colleges and universities in an effort to remake Florida’ higher-education into a bastion of conservatism.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025
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Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
The presentation was in response to the more-than-rumors that The Rock — once a rite of passage in the sport of racing, a bastion of small-town Americana and NASCAR — was going to be removed from the NASCAR schedule.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2025
The city was known as a bastion of some of the earliest and fiercest resistance against the Assad regime.
—Jawad Rizkallah, NPR, 5 Mar. 2025
In recent years, Gov. Ron DeSantis has helped install political allies at the helm of public colleges and universities in an effort to remake Florida’ higher-education into a bastion of conservatism.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 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 28 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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