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harbour

American  
[hahr-ber] / ˈhɑr bər /

noun

Chiefly British.
  1. harbor.


harbour British  
/ ˈhɑːbə /

noun

  1. a sheltered port

  2. a place of refuge or safety

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Spelling

See -or 1.

Other Word Forms

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The constituency covers part of the city's commuter belt - Peterculter, Milltimber and Bieldside - as well as the more urban areas near the harbour, such as Torry.

From BBC Jun. 10, 2026

And Fernando Alonso rescued what could have been a high-speed crash at the harbour front chicane in his Aston Martin.

From BBC Jun. 5, 2026

The container had also come in via Durban's harbour.

From BBC May 30, 2026

Tracey Benn, who owns Café Louise in Gorey harbour, said the flat rate of freight which was brought in with the new ferry contract had increased her costs.

From BBC May 26, 2026

Thus the coastguard on duty on the eastern side of the harbour, who at once ran down to the little pier, was the first to climb on board.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

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