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• anchorage
  anchorage

  noun

  that portion of a harbor or area outside a harbor suitable for anchoring or in which ships are permitted to anchor.
• Anchorage
  Anchorage

  noun

  a seaport in S Alaska: earthquake 1964.

anchorage

¹ American  

[ang-ker-ij] / ˈæŋ kər ɪdʒ /

noun

anchorages plural

1. that portion of a harbor or area outside a harbor suitable for anchoring or in which ships are permitted to anchor.

2. a charge for occupying such an area.

3. the act of anchoring or the state of being anchored.

4. that to which anything is fastened.

5. a means of anchoring or making fast.

6. something that can be relied on.

   The Bible is her anchorage.

7. (in a suspension bridge) a massive masonry or concrete construction securing a cable at each end.

8. Dentistry.

   1. an abutment.

   2. the locking in of a tooth filling by means of an undercut.

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Anchorage ² American  

[ang-ker-ij] / ˈæŋ kər ɪdʒ /

noun

1. a seaport in S Alaska: earthquake 1964.

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anchorage ¹ British  

/ ˈæŋkərɪdʒ /

noun

1. the cell or retreat of an anchorite

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anchorage ² British  

/ ˈæŋkərɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act of anchoring

2. any place where a vessel is anchored

3. a place designated for vessels to anchor

4. a fee imposed for anchoring

5. anything used as an anchor

6. a source of security or strength

7. something that supplies a secure hold for something else

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Anchorage ³ British  

/ ˈæŋkərɪdʒ /

noun

1. the largest city in Alaska, a port in the south, at the head of Cook Inlet. Pop: 270 951 (2003 est)

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Anchorage Cultural  

1. City in south-central Alaska; largest city in the state.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• anchorages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anchorage

First recorded in 1400–50, anchorage is from the late Middle English word ankerage. See anchor, -age

Explanation

A place in the ocean where ships can lower their anchors and stay a while is called an anchorage. A large cruise ship in a small port will often wait at an anchorage while passengers disembark into smaller boats. An anchorage is similar to a mooring, a place to park your boat. But moorings are close to shore and allow you to tie up your boat. For larger vessels, an anchorage allows them to toss a heavy anchor over the side in deep water. Back in the days of enormous sailing ships, an anchorage was also a place to pause and wait for the wind to change. You can also use this maritime term to mean "the act of condition of anchoring" or "a fee for anchoring."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anchorage Anchorage anchorages

The Hondius, which has been in quarantine off Cape Verde, left its anchorage there on Wednesday for Spain's Canary Islands.

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

“Whenever the situation escalates, they reiterate the warning,” said a seafarer surnamed Wang whose vessel—carrying liquefied natural gas—has been stuck at an anchorage northwest of Dubai for four weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

Nautical and air exclusion zones have been established around the anchorage site, officials say.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026

A week after the tempest, the anchorage of the Acapulco Yacht Club still looked like it had suffered intense bombardment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2023

Past the sprawl of the camp, the anchorage was crowded with ships.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Josu Jon Imaz, Repsol’s chief executive, said he had dinner with Burgum in Anchorage last year and Energy Secretary Chris Wright has shared his cellphone number.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The Marine was serving on the transport dock ship USS Anchorage and went missing during a training operation involving the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026

Several all-time records were broken, including a reading of 90 degrees Fahrenheit at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

"I don't know about the spirit of Anchorage," President Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state TV recently.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

Less than twenty-four hours after landing in Fairbanks, Carine and Sam flew on to Anchorage, where Chris’s body had been cremated following the autopsy at the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Regardless, last week, the Danish government said it would intensify environmental inspections of ships at Skagen Red, one of Scandinavia’s busiest anchorages at the northern tip of Denmark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

China's bunkering hub Ningbo-Zhoushan in the eastern province of Zhejiang has temporarily suspended discharging and loading oil, while tankers are ordered to stay at anchorages as typhoon Muifa is expected to land later on Wednesday.

From Reuters ● Sep. 14, 2022

The street once led to Pool Beag, or little pool, among the deepest anchorages in Dublin Harbor.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2018

I’ve gone back to explore them summer after summer, loving the experience despite the growing flotilla of boats competing for anchorages and buoys.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2017

From this vantage point he jealously inspected the yachts of the Seattlites who cruised past South Beach on their way to anchorages in Amity Harbor.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson