harbor

[ hahr-ber ]

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.

   Synonyms: retreat, sanctuary, asylum

verb (used with object)

1. to give shelter to; offer refuge to:

   They harbored the refugees who streamed across the borders.

   Synonyms: lodge, protect

2. to conceal; hide:

   to harbor fugitives.

3. to keep or hold in the mind; maintain; entertain:

   to harbor suspicion.

4. to house or contain.
5. to shelter (a vessel), as in a harbor.

verb (used without object)

1. (of a vessel) to take shelter in a harbor.

Other Words From

• harbor·er noun
• harbor·less adjective
• harbor·ous adjective
• un·harbored adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of harbor¹

before 1150; Middle English herber ( we ), herberge, Old English herebeorg lodgings, quarters ( here army + ( ge ) beorg refuge); cognate with German Herberge

Synonym Study

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. See cherish.

Example Sentences

He first saw the ship in October 1941 resting at anchor in Pearl Harbor, and what a beaut — long and towering, capable of 20 knots, with a complement of 1,200 sailors.

From Los Angeles Times

Everett Titterington, who died at Pearl Harbor, was interred at Riverside National Cemetery after his remains were identified.

From Los Angeles Times

On Dec. 6, the ship returned to Pearl Harbor.

From Los Angeles Times

Of the ruin of Pearl Harbor, Fernandez says nothing: nothing of the tar-black smoke rising into the blue sky, the giant ships listing at ungodly angles, the Utah capsized not far away, the fireboats streaming water onto the flames, the bodies in the water, the feelings of shock, of rage, the cries for vengeance.

From Los Angeles Times

That would come later in his life at a restaurant just north of Merced, where Chapter 10 of the Pearl Harbor Survivor Assn. gathered every other Thursday to play music, swap stories and share in the good fortune of being alive.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• believe
• cherish
• cling to
• maintain
• retain