redoubt

R1E1D2O1U1B3T1
US, UK/ɹɪˈdaʊt/Canada/ɹəˈdʌʊt/US, UK/ˌɹiːˈdaʊt/Canada/ˌɹiːˈdʌʊt/

noun

A small, temporary, military fortification.

UncommonScrabble 10

Meanings

redoubt1

nounredoubt (plural redoubts)

plural redoubts · alternative redout

  1. A small, temporary, military fortification.
  2. A place of safety or refuge.
    1 more example

    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.

verbredoubt (third-person singular simple present redoubts, present participle redoubting, simple past and past participle redoubted)

present singular third person redoubts · participle present redoubting · participle past redoubted · past redoubted · alternative redout

  1. transitiveTo fortify, to make into a stronghold.

    I have been employed from the day of action to that of the capitulation, in redoubting our Camp beyond insult

    1815, William Smith, History of Canada: From Its First Discovery, to the Year 1791, page 35
    2 more examples

    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.

    1769, John Knox, An Historical Journal Of The Campaigns in North-America, page 72

    The Commanding Royal Engineer in Canada again brought forward the earlier plan for redoubting the Quebec towers.

    1976, Canadian Historic Sites; Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History: Lieux Historiques Canadiens; Cahiers D'archéologie Et D'histoire

redoubt2

verbredoubt (third-person singular simple present redoubts, present participle redoubting, simple past and past participle redoubted)

present singular third person redoubts · participle present redoubting · participle past redoubted · past redoubted · alternative redout

  1. archaicTo dread.

redoubt3

verbredoubt (third-person singular simple present redoubts, present participle redoubting, simple past and past participle redoubted)

present singular third person redoubts · participle present redoubting · participle past redoubted · past redoubted · alternative re-doubt · alternative redout

  1. rareTo doubt again.

    "At first we didn't think it was Annabelle. We doubted and redoubted it. But we're almost certain it was now, although there is a difference in her voice."

    1951, Sam Hood, “Cigaret Dealers See Red (Stamps)”, in Pittsburgh Press
    2 more examples

    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...

    1601, R. Broughton, An apologicall epistle, page 20

    Herr Fessler, in the true spirit of a metaphysical Zittémteur, has taken the subject up in the most orthodox style of Fog; descanting, and doubting, and redoubting, until the Fog becomes positively impervious

    1860, George Augustus Sala, Looking at Life: Or, Thoughts and Things
nounredoubt (plural redoubts)

plural redoubts · alternative re-doubt · alternative redout

  1. rareThe return of doubt.

    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

    1963, Clarence J. Crossland, The lady balances her scales
    2 more examples

    My stock is a 3-1 bet to split by then, providing I have the guts to stonewall the supreme court of last resort, Key Biscayne, with my claim to gutlessly (i.e., physically unreally) surrounding the citadel with a mote in the beam of the Don, my brother's eye, a doubt and redoubt in the possibility of man's redemption.

    1977, Saul Finkel, The circular seesaw

    [The] basic characterization of geography of which we are part of, is an implication of postmodemism that cannot be accepted by anyone who prefers the press of ordinary life to the narrow academic games of doubt and redoubt.

    2011, Yoram Lubling, The Person Vanishes: John Dewey's Philosophy of Experience and the Self, Peter Lang Pub Incorporated, →ISBN

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

redoubt · noun, verb

  1. Latinredūcō“to withdraw”
  2. Medieval Latinreductus“refuge”
  3. Italianridotta
  4. Frenchredoute
  5. Englishredoubt

From French redoute, from Italian ridotta, from Medieval Latin reductus (“refuge”), from Latin redūcō (“to withdraw”), with spelling influenced by doubt.

Full word history & related roots →

redoubt · verb

  1. Latindubitāre“doubt”
  2. Old Frenchredouter
  3. Englishredoubt

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.

Full word history & related roots →

redoubt · verb, noun

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Old Frenchre-
  4. Middle Englishre-
  5. Englishre-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  7. Proto-Indo-European*dwi-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-
  9. Proto-Italic*du(i)βwos
  10. Latin*dubosde
  11. Latindubō
  12. Latindubitō
  13. Old Frenchdoter
  14. Middle Englishdouten
  15. Old Frenchdoter
  16. Old Frenchdoute
  17. Middle Englishdoute
  18. Englishdubiousinflu.
  19. Latindubitōinflu.
  20. Englishdoubt
  21. Englishredoubt

From re- + doubt.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian редут
  • редут (redut)fortification
Catalan reducte
  • reductefortification
Dutch redoute
  • redoutefortification
Finnish redutti, kavaljeeri
  • reduttifortification
  • kavaljeerifortification
French redoute
  • redoutefortification
German Redoute
  • Redoutefortification
Italian ridotta
  • ridottafortification
Māori pā maioro, rāihe
  • pā maiorofortification
  • rāihefortification
Polish reduta
  • redutafortification
Portuguese reduto
  • redutofortification
Romanian redută
  • redutăfortification
Russian реду́т
  • реду́т (redút)fortification
Spanish reducto
  • reductofortification
Swedish redutt
  • reduttfortification
Turkish tabya
  • tabyafortification

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with redoubt

All rhymes →

Sounds the same

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

redoubt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redoubt

MLA

“redoubt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redoubt. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “redoubt,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/redoubt.

Source: redoubt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.