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bulwark

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A defensive wall or rampart.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

buulwerk

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbʊlwɚk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A defensive wall or rampart.

  2. A defense or safeguard.

  3. figurative

    Any means of defence or security.

  4. A breakwater.

verb

  1. transitive

    To fortify something with a wall or rampart.

  2. transitive

    To provide protection of defense for something.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A defensive wall or rampart.

Used this way, bulwark is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Embankment

last bulwark

Protective

main bulwark

Other combinations

great bulwarkchief bulwarkstrong bulwarkimportant bulwarkeffective bulwarkpowerful bulwark

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • jetty

    Synonym of bulwark ("a defensive rampart or wall").

  • rampart

    A defensive mound of earth or a wall with a broad top and usually a stone parapet.

  • wall

    A rampart of earth, stones etc. built up for defensive purposes.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to fortify something with a wall or rampart

rampart

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.