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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 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 ³ 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 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 vessel was to be moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and monitored, it added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026

Many ship owners have been organising supplies for their crews who are stranded in the strait, using small boats to deliver food and essentials to vessels at anchorage.

From BBC ● May 23, 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

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

“They’re the largest builder of icebreakers and ice-class vessels in the world,” Dans said at an event in Anchorage, Alaska, in April.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

"The so-called Anchorage compromise is firmly dead," Powell said.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

I am considering moving out of California in retirement, potentially to Anchorage, Alaska, or El Paso, Texas.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Crypto firm Anchorage Digital is seeing more than a dozen stablecoin projects in its pipeline, with a subset of those coming directly from banks and banks-led consortia, according to CEO Nathan McCauley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The fat samples were taken from people who had left their native villages to enter the United States Public Health Service Hospital in Anchorage for surgery.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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

After warnings of an approaching storm on Jan. 25, 2021, more than 20 container ships left their anchorages in San Pedro Bay and headed to deeper waters to ride out the storm, the lawsuit said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2022

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

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2018

Two dozen coves and inlets, each with its pleasant muddle of sailboats and summer homes, ran the circumference of San Piedro, an endless series of pristine anchorages.

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