harbour

American  

[hahr-ber] / ˈhɑr bər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. harbor.

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harbour British  

/ ˈhɑːbə /

noun

1. a sheltered port

2. a place of refuge or safety

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verb

1. (tr) to give shelter to

   to harbour a criminal

2. (tr) to maintain secretly

   to harbour a grudge

3. to shelter (a vessel) in a harbour or (of a vessel) to seek shelter

Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• harbourer noun
• harbourless adjective

Etymology

Origin of harbour

Old English herebeorg, from here troop, army + beorg shelter; related to Old High German heriberga hostelry, Old Norse herbergi

Example Sentences

It shows a harbour littered with lobster boxes and boats bobbing in the water, as well as colourful bunting along the dark streets of St Amelia.

From BBC

Across its cliffs, moors and harbours, Cornwall continues to inspire creativity just as powerfully as it did for Graham, Woolf, du Maurier and Thompson.

From BBC

Such a declaration would be a blow to all those who still harbour hopes of convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal.

From Barron's

Neither party appeared to harbour any regrets about the separation.

From BBC

"We are not harbouring regime remnants here," said Ali al-Masri, an official in the Hermel municipality, calling the allegations "utter nonsense" and insisting that most in the camp were civilians.

From Barron's