- (also intr) to make (a place) defensible, as by building walls, digging trenches, etc
- to strengthen physically, mentally, or morally
- to add spirits or alcohol to (wine), in order to produce sherry, port, etc
- to increase the nutritious value of (a food), as by adding vitamins and minerals
- to support or confirm: to fortify an argument with facts
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
for•ti•fy /ˈfɔrtəˌfaɪ/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -fied, -fy•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Militaryto increase the defenses of:They went about fortifying the besieged town.
- to impart strength or vigor to:had fortified myself with a good breakfast.
- to increase the effectiveness of, such as by additional ingredients:to fortify a diet with vitamins.
- to strengthen mentally or morally:fortified by faith.
for•ti•fy
(fôr′tə fī′),USA pronunciation v., -fied, -fy•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
for′ti•fi′a•ble, adj.
for′ti•fi′er, n.
for′ti•fy′ing•ly, adv.
v.t.
- Militaryto protect or strengthen against attack;
surround or provide with defensive military works. - to furnish with a means of resisting force or standing strain or wear:to fortify cotton with nylon.
- to make strong;
impart strength or vigor to:to fortify oneself with a good breakfast. - to increase the effectiveness of, as by additional ingredients:to fortify a diet with vitamins; to fortify a lotion with lanolin.
- to strengthen mentally or morally:to be fortified by religious faith.
- to confirm or corroborate:to fortify an accusation with facts.
- Nutritionto add one or more ingredients to (a food) to increase its nutritional content.
- Wineto add alcohol to (wine or the like).
v.i.
- to set up defensive works;
erect fortifications.
- Late Latin fortificāre, equivalent. to Latin forti(s) strong + -ficāre -fy
- Middle French fortifier
- late Middle English fortifien 1400–50
for′ti•fi′er, n.
for′ti•fy′ing•ly, adv.
- 3. strengthen, reinforce. 5. hearten, embolden.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
fortify /ˈfɔːtɪˌfaɪ/ vb ( -fies, -fying, -fied) (mainly tr)
'fortified' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Amritsar
- bastion
- battery
- belfry
- Berchtesgaden
- besiege
- borough
- Brest
- bridgehead
- broch
- burg
- castle
- Cetinje
- citadel
- crannog
- donjon
- escarpment
- esplanade
- Ferrol
- fort
- fortress
- garrison
- glacis
- Hadrian's Wall
- hard
- hold
- Larisa
- Leonine
- line
- loophole
- Louisbourg
- Madeira
- Málaga
- moat
- peel
- pillbox
- port
- portcullis
- Port Royal
- red biddy
- Segovia
- sherry
- siege
- stronghold
- Toulon
- Verdun
- Zimbabwe
- acropolis
- Almoravid
- approach