Definition

Proper noun: * A United States Army installation in Maryland: Fort Meade is a military base located in Maryland, USA. It is notably the headquarters of the United States National Security Agency (NSA).

Usage Notes

• "Fort Meade" functions exclusively as a proper noun, referring to a specific, singular place. It is always capitalized.
• It is used to denote the physical military installation and, by extension, the organizations headquartered there, most prominently the NSA.

Examples

• As a location:
  • The new recruits were stationed at Fort Meade for training.
  • Fort Meade is one of the largest employer sites in the state of Maryland.
• Referring to the headquartered organization:
  • The intelligence report was issued from Fort Meade. (Here, "Fort Meade" is used metonymically to mean the NSA).

Advanced Usage

• Metonymy: In journalism and official contexts, "Fort Meade" is often used as a metonym to refer to the National Security Agency itself, due to the agency's primary location there.
  • The policy shift was announced by officials at Fort Meade.

Variants and Related Words

• NSA: National Security Agency. The primary intelligence organization headquartered at Fort Meade.
• US Army Garrison Fort Meade: The official designation for the base's command structure.
• Fort George G. Meade: The official full name of the installation, named after a Union general from the American Civil War.

Synonyms

• The base (when context is clear)
• NSA Headquarters (when specifically referring to the agency's home)

Related Phrases

• Based at Fort Meade: Describes a unit, agency, or personnel whose primary location is this installation.
  • The Cyber Command unit is based at Fort Meade.
• Fort Meade-based: An adjective phrase describing something originating from or located at the fort.
  • A Fort Meade-based analyst spoke to the press.

Noun

1. a United States Army base in Maryland; headquarters of the National Security Agency