Adjacent Words

Fortify definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FOR'TIFY, v.t.
1. To surround with a wall, ditch, palisades or other works, with a view to defend against the attacks of an enemy; to strengthen and secure by forts, batteries and other works of art; as, to fortify a city, town or harbor.
2. To strengthen against any attack; as, to fortify the mind against sudden calamity.
3. To confirm; to add strength and firmness to; as, to fortify an opinion or resolution; to fortify hope or desire.
4. To furnish with strength or means of resisting force, violence or assault.
FOR'TIFY, v.i. To raise strong places.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make strong or stronger; "This exercise will strengthen your upper body"; "strengthen the relations between the two countries" [syn: strengthen, beef up, fortify] [ant: weaken]
2: enclose by or as if by a fortification [syn: fortify, fort]
3: prepare oneself for a military confrontation; "The U.S. is girding for a conflict in the Middle East"; "troops are building up on the Iraqi border" [syn: arm, build up, fortify, gird] [ant: demilitarise, demilitarize, disarm]
4: add nutrients to; "fortified milk"
5: add alcohol to (beverages); "the punch is spiked!" [syn: spike, lace, fortify]

Merriam Webster's

verb (-fied; -fying) Etymology: Middle English fortifien, from Anglo-French fortifier, from Late Latin fortificare, from Latin fortis strong Date: 15th century transitive verb to make strong: as a. to strengthen and secure (as a town) by forts or batteries 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> d. to add material to for strengthening or enriching <fortified milk> intransitive verb to erect fortifications • fortifier noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (-ies, -ied) 1 provide or equip with defensive works so as to strengthen against attack. 2 strengthen or invigorate mentally or morally; encourage. 3 strengthen the structure of. 4 strengthen (wine) with alcohol. 5 increase the nutritive value of (food, esp. with vitamins). Derivatives: fortifiable adj. fortifier n. Etymology: ME f. OF fortifier f. LL fortificare f. L fortis strong

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fortify For"ti*fy, v. i. To raise defensive works. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fortify For"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fortified; p. pr. & vb. n. Fortifying.] [F. fortifier, L. fortificare; fortis strong + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Fort, and -fy.] 1. To add strength to; to strengthen; to confirm; to furnish with power to resist attack. Timidity was fortified by pride. --Gibbon. Pride came to the aid of fancy, and both combined to fortify his resolution. --Sir W. Scott. 2. To strengthen and secure by forts or batteries, or by surrounding with a wall or ditch or other military works; to render defensible against an attack by hostile forces.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(fortifies, fortifying, fortified) 1. To fortify a place means to make it stronger and more difficult to attack, often by building a wall or ditch round it. ...British soldiers working to fortify an airbase in Bahrain. VERB: V n 2. If food or drink is fortified, another substance is added to it to make it healthier or stronger. It has also been fortified with vitamin C... ...fortified cereal products. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed with n, V-ed

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Protect by fortifications, surround with fortifications. 2. Brace, strengthen, stiffen, reinforce, add strength to. 3. Strengthen, confirm, corroborate.

Moby Thesaurus

add to, adulterate, affirm, animate, arm, armor, armor-plate, arouse, attest, augment, authenticate, back, back up, bank, barricade, bastardize, battle, bear out, beef up, blockade, bolster, boost, brace, brace up, brisk, brisken, buck up, bulwark, buoy, buttress, case harden, castellate, certify, cheer, chirk up, circumstantiate, confirm, contaminate, corroborate, corrupt, crenellate, cut, debase, denaturalize, denature, dig in, dilute, doctor, doctor up, document, embattle, embolden, encourage, energize, enhance, enliven, enrich, entrench, exhilarate, fence, fresh up, freshen, freshen up, garrison, gird, harden, hearten, increase, invigorate, lace, man, man the garrison, mine, nerve, palisade, perk up, pick up, pollute, prepare, probate, prop, prove, quicken, rally, ratify, ready, reanimate, reassure, recreate, recruit, refresh, refreshen, regale, reinforce, reinvigorate, renew, restore, restrengthen, revive, revivify, rouse, secure, set up, shore up, spike, steel, stiffen, stimulate, stir, strengthen, substantiate, supplement, support, sustain, tamper with, temper, toughen, undergird, uphold, validate, verify, vivify, wall, warrant, water, water down