haven
Americannoun
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a harbor or port.
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any place of shelter and safety; refuge; asylum.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a port, harbour, or other sheltered place for shipping
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a place of safety or sanctuary; shelter
verb
Usage
What is a haven? A haven is any safe place, as in The woods can be a haven from a busy world.A safe place is the most common meaning of haven and can be used in many ways. For example, something can be a haven for a person (like your bedroom might be), for a particular behavior (as in a haven for corruption), or for a belief or religion. A haven can be a place safe from something negative or dangerous or a place safe for something negative or dangerous.A haven is also a harbor or port. In other words, it’s a place for a ship or other seagoing vehicle to dock safely or take refuge in during a storm.Haven appears in the phrase safe haven. A safe haven is a safe place for someone or something who is threatened.Haven also appears in the phrase tax haven. This is a location that has very low taxation rates for outside investors. The idea is that a tax haven provides a shelter from taxation.Example: My bedroom is a haven of peace in the midst of the chaos of Christmas decoration prep.
Related Words
See harbor.
Other Word Forms
- havenless adjective
- havenward adverb
Etymology
Origin of haven
First recorded before 1050; Middle English; Old English hæfen; cognate with Dutch haven, German Hafen, Old Norse hǫfn; akin to Old English hæf, Old Norse haf sea
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Other currencies with solid safe haven features have been bested.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
The scramble comes after many businesses in the Gulf dropped war-risk cover in recent years to reduce their premiums, brokers said, trusting the region’s reputation as a haven from political turmoil.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
Regulatory developments have played a part in recent weeks but investors are also struggling to make sense of cryptos’ role in a landscape of mounting risks—is it a haven or not?
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
Bugie Kurniawan, head of the office, said the arrest served as a message that the Indonesian island "will never be a safe haven for international fugitives".
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
The haven now was sunk from sight and Lookfar’s painted eyes, wave-drenched, looked ahead on seas ever wider and more desolate.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
