1 fortifier | Definition of fortifier
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

fortify

verb
for·​ti·​fy | \ ˈfȯr-tÉ™-ËŒfÄ« How to pronounce fortify (audio) \
fortified; fortifying

Definition of fortify

transitive verb

: to make strong: such as
a : to strengthen and secure (a place, such as a town) by forts or batteries a city fortified by high walls
b : to give physical strength, courage, or endurance to fortified by a hearty meal
c : to add mental or moral strength to : encourage fortified by prayer fortified by early successes
d : to strengthen or enhance by the addition of some substance or ingredient: such as
(1) : to add distilled grape spirits to (wine) during fermentation to increase the alcohol content … both the red and white versions we get in this country have been American-made-from California wine fortified with a touch of brandy.— Jim Nelson
(2) : to enrich (food) by adding ingredients (such as vitamins or minerals) to improve the nutritional value … make sure any soy milk you buy is fortified with vitamin D, an essential nutrient for bone health.— Selene Yeager

intransitive verb

: to erect fortifications
Other Words from fortify Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about fortify

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from fortify

fortifier \ ˈfȯr-​tÉ™-​ËŒfÄ«(-​É™)r How to pronounce fortifier (audio) \ noun

Did You Know?

Medieval cities were fortified against attack by high walls, and volunteers may fortify a levee against an overflowing river by means of sandbags. Foods can be fortified by adding vitamins, but "fortified wines", such as sherry and port, have brandy (a "stronger" drink) rather than vitamins added to them. By adopting good exercise habits, you can fortify your body against illness. And fortifying needn't always be physical. An author's reputation may be fortified by the success of his new book, or a prosecutor can fortify a case against a suspect by finding more evidence.

Examples of fortify in a Sentence

fortify a city against attack a city fortified by high walls Support for his theories has been fortified by the results of these experiments. He took a deep breath to fortify himself before stepping onto the stage. milk fortified with vitamin D
See More

Recent Examples on the Web

 Lawmakers had long limited use of earnings to such things as fortifying the fund and paying dividends based on an average of fund income over five years. — Becky Bohrer, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s oil money headaches: ‘We did this to ourselves’," 9 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, local officials are scrambling to come up with solutions on how to protect communities from the rising seas, changing building codes and building barriers to fortify against the intruding coastlines. — Aric Chokey, sun-sentinel.com, "Despite threats from hurricanes and rising seas, populations continue to swell along the coast | Map," 17 July 2019 Cyprus: The journey ends on Cyprus, where the Venetians fortified several towns in order to defend the island against regular raids by the Ottoman Turks. — Dagmar Schwell, National Geographic, "Historical journey: Discover the architectural legacy of Venice," 8 May 2019 After dressing on Monday morning, Reza walked over to the camp’s fortified outer wall. — Rod Nordland, The Seattle Times, "The Afghan army’s last stand at Chinese Camp," 14 Aug. 2018 At 39, Rafael Marquez became just the third player to feature at five World Cups as he was brought for the final 15 minutes to fortify Mexico's defence. — Martyn Wood, chicagotribune.com, "Low: Mexico loss 'situation we're not used to'," 17 June 2018 So moves to fortify the pitching staff before the deadline, with the rotation and/or an injury-riddled bullpen sitting as fairly equal needs, has to be on the radar. — Jeremy Cluff, azcentral, "Robbie Ray trade rumors: Yankees, Phillies, Brewers, Astros interested in Diamondbacks ace," 16 July 2019 Some local leagues have merged with rivals to fortify depleted rosters. — Alex Putterman, courant.com, "Connecticut Little Leagues forced to adjust amid youth baseball participation decline," 10 July 2019 Goforth, who won more than 30 counties, including many Trump carried in 2016, said Bevin has a lot of work to do to fortify the GOP base. — Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Fed up with Matt Bevin, a Kentucky Republican starts a GOP for Beshear Facebook group," 13 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fortify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of fortify

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

History and Etymology for fortify

Middle English fortifien, from Anglo-French fortifier, from Late Latin fortificare, from Latin fortis strong

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for fortify

fortify

verb
How to pronounce fortify (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of fortify

: to strengthen (a place) by building military defenses (such as walls, trenches, etc.)
: to make (someone or something) stronger
: to make (yourself) feel stronger or less fearful

See the full definition for fortify in the English Language Learners Dictionary

fortify

verb
for·​ti·​fy | \ ˈfȯr-tÉ™-ËŒfÄ« How to pronounce fortify (audio) \
fortified; fortifying

Kids Definition of fortify

1 : to make strong Walls fortified the city against attack. Calcium fortifies bones.
2 : to add material to (something) to strengthen or improve it The cereal was fortified with vitamins.

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on fortify

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with fortify

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fortify

Spanish Central: Translation of fortify

Nglish: Translation of fortify for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of fortify for Arabic Speakers

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!