What does "garrison" mean?
A permanent military post.
Garrison
/ˈɡæɹ.ɪ.sən/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A permanent military post.
- Grammar: garrison is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: acropolis, advance guard, arm, armed guard.
- Useful contrasts: besieger, dearmament, demobilization.
- Usage evidence: The garrison was forced to surrender.
How to use "garrison"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "garrison" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "garrison" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "garrison" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "garrison" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "garrison" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acropolis" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "garrison", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A permanent military post.
- 2 a fortified military post where troops are stationed wordnet
- 3 The troops stationed at such a post.
"My Lord the great Commander of the worlde, […] Hath now in armes ten thouſand Ianiſaries, […] And for the expedition of this war, If he thinke good, can from his garriſons, UUithdraw as many more to follow him."
- 4 the troops who maintain and guard a fortified place wordnet
- 5 Occupants.
"“I came down like a wolf on the fold, didn’t I ? Why didn’t I telephone ? Strategy, my dear boy, strategy. This is a surprise attack, and I’d no wish that the garrison, forewarned, should escape. …”"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A military unit, nominally headed by a colonel, equivalent to a USAF support wing, or an army regiment. Space-Force, US
Verb
- 1 To assign troops to a military post.
"Nor was he content with thus strongly garrisoning the fort, but he likewise added exceedingly to its strength by furnishing it with a formidable battery of quaker guns—rearing a stupendous flag-staff in the centre which overtopped the whole city—and moreover by building a great windmill on one of the bastions."
- 2 station (troops) in a fort or garrison wordnet
- 3 To convert into a military fort.
- 4 To occupy with troops.
"'Establishing a land bridge through Mariupol to Crimea would take tens of thousands of troops. So would garrisoning eastern Ukraine.', http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21615605-now-willing-use-russian-troops-more-or-less-openly-eastern-ukraine-vladimir-putin-has"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 A village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. countable, uncountable
- 3 A city in Benton County, Iowa. countable, uncountable
- 4 An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lewis County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
- 5 A census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland. countable, uncountable
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. countable, uncountable
- 7 An unincorporated community in Christian County, Missouri. countable, uncountable
- 8 A census-designated place in Powell County, Montana. countable, uncountable
- 9 A village in Butler County, Nebraska. countable, uncountable
- 10 A hamlet in Putnam County, New York. countable, uncountable
- 11 A small city in McLean County, North Dakota. countable, uncountable
- 12 A small city in Nacogdoches County, Texas. countable, uncountable
- 13 An unincorporated community in Millard County, Utah. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The garrison was forced to surrender."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "garrison"?
Common synonyms include: acropolis, advance guard, arm, armed guard, armor, armor-plate.
How do you use "garrison" in a sentence?
The garrison was forced to surrender.
How do you pronounce "garrison"?
Pronounced /ˈɡæɹ.ɪ.sən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English garisoun, garysoun, from Old French garison, guarison, from guarir + -ison, ultimately of Germanic origin; thus a doublet of warison. Compare guard, ward; the modern meaning is influenced by (now obsolete) garnison.
Etymology 2
From Garrett + -son.