What does "redoubt" mean?
A small, temporary, military fortification.
Redoubt
/ɹɪˈdaʊt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small, temporary, military fortification.
- Grammar: redoubt is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abatis, advanced work, balistraria, bank.
- Useful contrasts: exposure, open field, openness.
- Usage evidence: Let them hole up in the redoubt -- our troops will pass right by.
How to use "redoubt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "redoubt" 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 "redoubt" 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 "redoubt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "redoubt" 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 "redoubt" is acting as 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 "abatis" 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 "redoubt", 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 small, temporary, military fortification.
- 2 The return of doubt. rare
"Undeterred by humble beginning, undaunted by frustrations imposed by others of lesser stature, undismayed by the doubts and redoubts of personal, political and elemental forces, he persevered, he pursued and he prevailed"
- 3 an entrenched stronghold or refuge wordnet
- 4 A reinforced refuge; a fort.
- 5 (military) a temporary or supplementary fortification; typically square or polygonal without flanking defenses wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A place of safety or refuge.
"2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text To the south, the vast geometrical deserts of Arabian nomads, a redoubt of feral movement, of fickle winds, of open space, of saddle leather—home to the wild Bedouin tribes."
Verb
- 1 To fortify, to make into a stronghold. transitive
"By the time that our troops had taken a little refreshment, a quantity of intrenching tools were brought a-shore, and the regiments were employed in redoubting our ground, and landing some cannon and ammunition."
- 2 To dread. archaic
- 3 To doubt again. rare
"Neither any of ſo many hundreds of expleaded, or nowe raigning hereſies, or any that ſhall ariſe hereafter, nor the Religion of Martine Luther so often profeſſed, and both priuately and publickly recanted, altered, changed, doubted, and redoubted by himſelfe, as his owne works and all proteſtants doe witneſſe..."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Let them hole up in the redoubt -- our troops will pass right by."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "redoubt"?
Common synonyms include: abatis, advanced work, balistraria, bank, banquette, barbed-wire entanglement.
How do you use "redoubt" in a sentence?
Let them hole up in the redoubt -- our troops will pass right by.
How do you pronounce "redoubt"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈdaʊt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From French redoute, from Italian ridotta, from Medieval Latin reductus (“refuge”), from Latin redūcō (“I withdraw”), with spelling influenced by doubt.
Etymology 2
From Old French redouter, from Latin dubitāre (“doubt”) prefixed with re-. The b was later added back in this word, and the related doubt and redoubtable, to reflect their Latin source.
Etymology 3
From re- + doubt.