fort up

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

To fortify (a place); to convert into a fort.

Register: informal

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

They had forted up their house, cutting the bottom-land timbers, lopping off their limbs, and driving the tree trunks into the ground topwise, to make a stockade big enough to hold them and some neighbors — the ones willing to stay there.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “fort up” mean?

To fortify (a place); to convert into a fort.

Is “fort up” formal or informal?

fort up is generally informal.