fortifying

verb

present participle of fortify
1
as in bracing
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally Kelly fortified herself for the basketball tournament with a series of confidence-boosting exercises

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2
as in strengthening
to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force he downed another granola bar to fortify himself for the rest of the bike ride

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3
as in hardening
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure bought lots of warm clothing to fortify ourselves against the cold

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fortifying Residents were busy fortifying their properties ahead of the peak of the weather event, as city officials positioned crews early to begin working on lining the shore with berms. — Lesley Marin, CBS News, 30 July 2026 Paramount now must strengthen its case for a high-stakes trial while fortifying Paramount’s existing businesses and managing uncertainty among the employee base. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 In response, Anthropic took the model off the market on June 12, and then re-released it on June 30 after fortifying its security. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 July 2026 New Orleans residents prepared for Bertha's arrival by fortifying their properties with sandbags, and many boat owners in the region moved their vessels out of docks located along the coast to safer locations. — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 22 July 2026 Iran began fortifying the entrances and building a secure perimeter surrounding the entire mountain and Natanz in 2025, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 Moscow has spent years fortifying Crimea, tripling its troop presence, deploying advanced air defenses and coastal batteries, and studding the land with missile launch systems. — Marc Santora, New York Times, 4 July 2026 The five-day trade fair drew Black businesspersons from dozens of states, fortifying Jackson’s assertion that economic development is the way to Black power. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026 More picks offer more chances at fortifying their roster, or more trade ammunition to move up for a quarterback in a strong draft class next spring. — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortifying
  1. bracing
  2. strengthening
Verb
  • And while global child mortality data for 2025 won’t be available for several months, health officials are already bracing for a surge in deaths among the world’s youngest and most vulnerable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Even with potential signs of a softening labor market, however, some economists are bracing for a potential upside surprise in the July data or at least indications that inflation is too stubborn for the Fed to ignore.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of bracing
Verb
  • Phillips takes his task of strengthening the Panthers’ pass rush seriously.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The first, the hurricane center said Wednesday morning, has an 80% likelihood of strengthening into a tropical depression or storm in the next two to seven days.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of strengthening

Browse Nearby Words

fortify
fortifying
fortitude
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Cite this Entry

“Fortifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fortifying. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fortifying

Nglish: Translation of fortifying for Spanish Speakers

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