Fort vs. Castle — What's the Difference?

A fortified building or strategic position

A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble.

A fortified place or position for the stationing of troops.

A large fortified building or group of buildings with thick walls, usually dominating the surrounding country.

A permanent army post.

A fortified stronghold converted to residential use.

A fortified defensive structure stationed with troops.

A large ornate building similar to or resembling a fortified stronghold.

Any permanent army post.

A place of privacy, security, or refuge.

(historical) An outlying trading-station, as in British North America.

(Games) See rook2.

A structure improvised from furniture, bedding, etc., for playing games.

To move the king in chess from its own square two empty squares to one side and then, in the same move, bring the rook from that side to the square immediately past the new position of the king.

To create a fort, fortifications, a strong point, or a redoubt.

To place in or as if in a castle.

A strong or fortified place; usually, a small fortified place, occupied only by troops, surrounded with a ditch, rampart, and parapet, or with palisades, stockades, or other means of defense; a fortification.

(Games) To move (the king in chess) by castling.

A fortified military post where troops are stationed

A large residential building or compound that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king. Also, a house or mansion with some of the architectural features of medieval castles.

A fortified defensive structure

(chess) An instance of castling.

Gather in, or as if in, a fort, as for protection or defense

A rook; a chess piece shaped like a castle tower.

Enclose by or as if by a fortification

(shogi) A defense structure in shogi formed by defensive pieces surrounding the king.

Station (troops) in a fort

(obsolete) A close helmet.

(dated) Any strong, imposing, and stately palace or mansion.

(dated) A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.

The wicket.

(transitive) To house or keep in a castle.

To protect or separate in a similar way.

(obsolete) To make into a castle: to build in the form of a castle or add (real or imitation) battlements to an existing building.

To move the king 2 squares right or left and, in the same turn, the nearest rook to the far side of the king. The move now has special rules: the king cannot be in, go through, or end in check; the squares between the king and rook must be vacant; and neither piece may have been moved before castling.

To create a similar defensive position in Japanese chess through several moves.

(cricket) To bowl a batsman with a full-length ball or yorker such that the stumps are knocked over.

A fortified residence, especially that of a prince or nobleman; a fortress.

Any strong, imposing, and stately mansion.

A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.

A piece, made to represent a castle, used in the game of chess; a rook.

To move the castle to the square next to king, and then the king around the castle to the square next beyond it, for the purpose of covering the king.

A large and stately mansion

A large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified against attack

(chess) the piece that can move any number of unoccupied squares in a direction parallel to the sides of the chessboard

Interchanging the positions of the king and a rook

Move the king two squares toward a rook and in the same move the rook to the square next past the king