bul·wark
ˈbu̇l-(ˌ)wərk 
-ˌwȯrk;
ˈbəl-(ˌ)wərk;
sense 3 also ˈbə-ˌläk
1
a
: a solid wall-like structure raised for defense : rampart
b
: breakwater, seawall
building a bulwark in the harbor
2
: a strong support or protection
democratic principles that stand as a bulwark against tyranny
a bulwark of freedom
3
nautical
: the side of a ship above the upper deck
—usually used in plural
bulwarked; bulwarking; bulwarks
: to fortify or safeguard with a bulwark
ability to bulwark a moral choice—
Margaret Mead
Margaret MeadSynonyms
Examples of bulwark in a Sentence
Noun
democratic principles that stand as a bulwark against tyranny
Verb
vowed to use any means necessary to bulwark the country against a terrorist attack
Recent Examples on the WebScott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The Fourth Amendment is one of the most basic rights people in the United States enjoy, providing a bulwark against government intrusion.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Economic protectionism is made to seem paramount, diplomacy takes a back seat, and the military becomes the bulwark of the nation.
—TIME, 18 Mar. 2024
That would mean both arming Ukraine better and stepping up Europe’s own military preparedness, expenditures, and arms production to build a long-term bulwark against potential Russian attack.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024
How did Netflix defend its bulwark when there are still multiple streaming services fighting for eyeballs?
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024
The possibility of a Trump White House and a Republican Senate could make the House a lone bulwark against complete G.O.P. control in Washington.
—Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024
Many view this gambit as extraordinarily damaging to Israel’s most crucial alliance—the relationship with the United States is the very bulwark of its security.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
In Chinese culture but also globally, real estate constitutes the bulwark of household wealth.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
That prompted senior sales agents to suggest that the traditional sales model, bulwarked on the strength of ancillary sales to TV in Europe, haS now broken.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Nov. 2023
But this was probably the draft Chicago needed to bulwark a talent-deficient roster around QB Justin Fields – and don't forget the package from Carolina for the No. 1 pick also brought WR1 Moore, who's under contract for three more years.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2023
The Arizona Cardinals, having traded down from the third pick to the 11th, then traded back up to the sixth pick, selecting Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. to bulwark an offensive line ravaged by injuries in 2022.
—Mike Tanier, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023
And bulwarking a defense that hasn't ranked better than 22nd since 2018 is long overdue.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2023
Presidential blue-ribbon panels bulwarked the Social Security program in 1983 and overhauled NASA’s space shuttle program after the 1986 Challenger disaster.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2023
In other wildlife news, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is hiring its first-ever beaver restoration unit, which will work with beavers to help bulwark natural systems against climate change, Nathan Solis writes.
—Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022
The goal is to bulwark oil and gas against ambitious climate change policies by claiming the moral high ground — even as those fuels kindle a global crisis that disproportionately harms people who aren’t white.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2020
Noun
In the film, Kurosawa’s penultimate feature as a director, a grandmother, a victim of the Nagasaki bombing, passes on her faith in love and integrity as a bulwark against war and violence to her grandchildren and her American nephew.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The Fourth Amendment is one of the most basic rights people in the United States enjoy, providing a bulwark against government intrusion.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Economic protectionism is made to seem paramount, diplomacy takes a back seat, and the military becomes the bulwark of the nation.
—TIME, 18 Mar. 2024
That would mean both arming Ukraine better and stepping up Europe’s own military preparedness, expenditures, and arms production to build a long-term bulwark against potential Russian attack.
—Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024
How did Netflix defend its bulwark when there are still multiple streaming services fighting for eyeballs?
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024
The possibility of a Trump White House and a Republican Senate could make the House a lone bulwark against complete G.O.P. control in Washington.
—Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024
Many view this gambit as extraordinarily damaging to Israel’s most crucial alliance—the relationship with the United States is the very bulwark of its security.
—Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024
In Chinese culture but also globally, real estate constitutes the bulwark of household wealth.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
What a MipTV swan song, bulwarked by Canneseries, can deliver, is another question.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
That prompted senior sales agents to suggest that the traditional sales model, bulwarked on the strength of ancillary sales to TV in Europe, haS now broken.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Nov. 2023
But this was probably the draft Chicago needed to bulwark a talent-deficient roster around QB Justin Fields – and don't forget the package from Carolina for the No. 1 pick also brought WR1 Moore, who's under contract for three more years.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2023
The Arizona Cardinals, having traded down from the third pick to the 11th, then traded back up to the sixth pick, selecting Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. to bulwark an offensive line ravaged by injuries in 2022.
—Mike Tanier, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023
And bulwarking a defense that hasn't ranked better than 22nd since 2018 is long overdue.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2023
Presidential blue-ribbon panels bulwarked the Social Security program in 1983 and overhauled NASA’s space shuttle program after the 1986 Challenger disaster.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2023
In other wildlife news, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is hiring its first-ever beaver restoration unit, which will work with beavers to help bulwark natural systems against climate change, Nathan Solis writes.
—Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022
The goal is to bulwark oil and gas against ambitious climate change policies by claiming the moral high ground — even as those fuels kindle a global crisis that disproportionately harms people who aren’t white.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bulwark.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bulwark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bulwark. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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