harbor
Use Harbor in a sentence
bər noun
1.
a part of a body of water along the shore deep enough for anchoring a ship and so situated with respect to coastal features, whether natural or artificial, as to provide protection from winds, waves, and currents.
2.
such a body of water having docks or port facilities.
3.
any place of shelter or refuge: The old inn was a harbor for tired travelers.
verb (used with object)
4.
to give shelter to; offer refuge to: They harbored the refugees who streamed across the borders.
5.
to conceal; hide: to harbor fugitives.
6.
to keep or hold in the mind; maintain; entertain: to harbor suspicion.
7.
to house or contain.
8.
to shelter (a vessel), as in a harbor.
00:10
Harbor
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
verb (used without object)
9.
(of a vessel) to take shelter in a harbor.
Also, especially British, harbour.
Origin:
before 1150; Middle English herber(we), herberge, Old English herebeorg lodgings, quarters (here army + (ge)beorg refuge); cognate with German Herberge
before 1150; Middle English herber(we), herberge, Old English herebeorg lodgings, quarters (here army + (ge)beorg refuge); cognate with German Herberge
Related forms
har·bor·er, noun
har·bor·less, adjective
har·bor·ous, adjective
un·har·bored, adjective
Synonyms
1. Harbor, haven, port indicate a shelter for ships. A harbor may be natural or artificially constructed or improved: a fine harbor on the eastern coast. A haven is usually a natural harbor that can be utilized by ships as a place of safety; the word is common in literary use: a haven in time of storm; a haven of refuge. A port is a harbor viewed especially in its commercial relations, though it is frequently applied in the meaning of harbor or haven also: a thriving port; any old port in a storm. 3. asylum, sanctuary, retreat. 4. protect, lodge. 6. See cherish.
1. Harbor, haven, port indicate a shelter for ships. A harbor may be natural or artificially constructed or improved: a fine harbor on the eastern coast. A haven is usually a natural harbor that can be utilized by ships as a place of safety; the word is common in literary use: a haven in time of storm; a haven of refuge. A port is a harbor viewed especially in its commercial relations, though it is frequently applied in the meaning of harbor or haven also: a thriving port; any old port in a storm. 3. asylum, sanctuary, retreat. 4. protect, lodge. 6. See cherish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To harbor
Collins
World English Dictionary
harbour or harbor (ˈhɑːbə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a sheltered port |
| 2. | a place of refuge or safety |
| —vb | |
| 3. | (tr) to give shelter to: to harbour a criminal |
| 4. | (tr) to maintain secretly: to harbour a grudge |
| 5. | to shelter (a vessel) in a harbour or (of a vessel) to seek shelter |
| [Old English herebeorg, from here troop, army + beorg shelter; related to Old High German heriberga hostelry, Old Norse herbergi] | |
| harbor or harbor | |
| —n | |
| —vb | |
| [Old English herebeorg, from here troop, army + beorg shelter; related to Old High German heriberga hostelry, Old Norse herbergi] | |
| 'harbourer or harbor | |
| —n | |
| 'harborer or harbor | |
| —n | |
| 'harbourless or harbor | |
| —adj | |
| 'harborless or harbor | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
harbor
c.1150, from O.E. herebeorg, from here "army, host" (see harry) + beorg "refuge, shelter" (related to beorgan "save, preserve"); perhaps modeled on O.N. herbergi, from P.Gmc. *kharjaz + *berg-. Sense shifted in M.E. to "refuge, lodgings," then to "place of shelter for ships."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
harbor
any part of a body of water and the manmade structures surrounding it that sufficiently shelters a vessel from wind, waves, and currents, enabling safe anchorage or the discharge and loading of cargo and passengers
Learn more about harbor with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
The crazed fortune hunters who created this place left their ships to rot in the harbor on their way to the gold in the hills.
But there usually are reasons that people aren't there: no potable water, inclement weather, lack of a harbor for boats to dock.
The temporary houses, first built over the water in the harbor, soon gave way to more solid structures.
The answer will depend on your boat, the harbor, and your own likes or dislikes.
Nearby Words
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