anchor
any of various devices dropped by a chain, cable, or rope to the bottom of a body of water for preventing or restricting the motion of a vessel or other floating object, typically having broad, hooklike arms that bury themselves in the bottom to provide a firm hold.
any similar device for holding fast or checking motion: an anchor of stones.
any device for securing a suspension or cantilever bridge at either end.
any of various devices, as a metal tie, for binding one part of a structure to another.
a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay: Hope was his only anchor.
Also anchorman. Radio and Television. a person who is the main broadcaster on a program of news, sports, etc., and who usually also serves as coordinator of all participating broadcasters during the program; anchorman or anchorwoman; anchorperson.
Television. a program that attracts many viewers who are likely to stay tuned to the network for the programs that follow.
Also called anchor store . a well-known store, especially a department store, that attracts customers to the shopping center in which it is located.
Slang. automotive brakes.
Military. a key position in defense lines.
Also anchorman. Sports.
the person on a team, especially a relay team, who competes last.
the person farthest to the rear on a tug-of-war team.
to hold fast by an anchor.
to fix or fasten; affix firmly: The button was anchored to the cloth with heavy thread.
to act or serve as an anchor for: He anchored the evening news.
to drop anchor; lie or ride at anchor: The ship anchored at dawn.
to keep hold or be firmly fixed: The insect anchored fast to its prey.
Sports, Radio and Television. to act or serve as an anchor.
Idioms about anchor
at anchor, held in place by an anchor: The luxury liner is at anchor in the harbor.
drag anchor, (of a vessel) to move with a current or wind because an anchor has failed to hold.
drop anchor, to anchor a vessel: They dropped anchor in a bay to escape the storm.
weigh anchor, to raise the anchor: We will weigh anchor at dawn.
Origin of anchor
1Other words from anchor
- an·chor·a·ble, adjective
- an·chor·less, adjective
- an·chor·like, adjective
- re·an·chor, verb
- un·an·chored, adjective
- well-an·chored, adjective
Words Nearby anchor
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use anchor in a sentence
The ongoing campaign utilized primarily PageRank-passing guest blogs with commercial, hard anchor texts.
A wave of retail bankruptcies — including of some of Simon’s most important mall anchors and tenants, such as the department store chains JCPenney and Neiman Marcus — is adding to the pressure.
America’s Largest Shopping Mall Owner Gets a New Tenant: Itself | Daniel Malloy | August 20, 2020 | OzyHe spent a year growing that following, throwing everything he had into a career as an online creator with the app as his anchor.
TikTok made him famous. Now he’s imagining a world without it | Abby Ohlheiser | August 14, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewBut, you have less control over the anchor text or the article’s content.
Nine mistakes to avoid when contacting websites for backlinks | Raj Dosanjh | July 29, 2020 | Search Engine WatchShort floating attachment anchors sprouted from the dice, like an octopus’s arms, each chemically fused to an antigen protein.
How Fake Viruses Can Help Us Make the Best Possible Vaccines | Shelly Fan | July 7, 2020 | Singularity Hub
Removing choice is bullying and seems a horrid basis on which to anchor your relationship.
She added: “NBC News is proud to have David in the important anchor chair of ‘Meet the Press.’ ”
David Gregory's 'Meet the Press' Eviction Exposed in Washingtonian Takedown | Lloyd Grove | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHave a kid here –what some pejoratively refer to as an “anchor baby” – and it is tougher to be deported.
The Progressive Case Against Birthright Citizenship | Keli Goff | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“When immigrants hear ‘anchor babies,’ they hear ‘they hate us,’” says Sharry.
Get Ready to Start Hearing About ‘Executive Amnesty for Anchor Babies’ | Eleanor Clift | November 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Tom Brokaw would anchor for hours on end for breaking news events and things like that,” Roker says.
At a quarter past seven he took his leave and we let drop our anchor where we were, off Cape Tekke.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonWe embarked on the evening of the 28th of June, and weighed anchor before daybreak of the 29th.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferAfter you have repeated the Correlation, then repeat the two extremes, thus—“anchor” … “Bolster.”
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)On the 2nd of July, we again attempted to weigh anchor, but with no better success than the day before.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida PfeifferAt eight o'clock the next morning we got underweigh; but the Dick in weighing her anchor found both flukes broken off.
British Dictionary definitions for anchor
/ (ˈæŋkə) /
any of several devices, usually of steel, attached to a vessel by a cable and dropped overboard so as to grip the bottom and restrict the vessel's movement
an object used to hold something else firmly in place: the rock provided an anchor for the rope
a source of stability or security: religion was his anchor
a metal cramp, bolt, or similar fitting, esp one used to make a connection to masonry
(as modifier): anchor bolt; anchor plate
the rear person in a tug-of-war team
short for anchorman, anchorwoman
at anchor (of a vessel) anchored
cast anchor, come to anchor or drop anchor to anchor a vessel
drag anchor See drag (def. 13)
ride at anchor to be anchored
weigh anchor to raise a vessel's anchor or (of a vessel) to have its anchor raised in preparation for departure
to use an anchor to hold (a vessel) in one place
to fasten or be fastened securely; fix or become fixed firmly
(tr) radio television to act as an anchorman on
Origin of anchor
1- See also anchors
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
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