1. a fortified tower or stronghold; a fortress
Usage: archaic; often capitalized when referring to the Bastille in Paris
2. a prison or place of confinement, especially one regarded as oppressive
Usage: archaic; often capitalized when referring to the Bastille in Paris

Examples

• The bastile stood on the hill, guarding the entrance to the valley.
• Medieval kings built bastiles to protect their territories from invasion.
• The fortress served as a bastile where political prisoners were held.
• The storming of the Bastille in 1789 became a symbol of liberation from tyranny.
• The old bastile crumbled after centuries of neglect.