anchor

American  

[ang-ker] / ˈæŋ kər /

noun

• anchors
  plural

1. 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.

2. any similar device for holding fast or checking motion.

   an anchor of stones.

3. any device for securing a suspension or cantilever bridge at either end.

4. any of various devices, as a metal tie, for binding one part of a structure to another.

5. a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay.

   Hope was his only anchor.

6. Radio and Television. Also 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.

7. Television. a program that attracts many viewers who are likely to stay tuned to the network for the programs that follow.

8. Also called anchor store.  a well-known store, especially a department store, that attracts customers to the shopping center in which it is located.

9. Slang. automotive brakes.

10. Military. a key position in defense lines.

11. Sports. Also

    1. the person on a team, especially a relay team, who competes last.

    2. the person farthest to the rear on a tug-of-war team.

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verb (used with object)

• anchors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• anchored,
  past participle,  past
• anchoring
  present participle

1. to hold fast by an anchor.

2. to fix or fasten; affix firmly.

   The button was anchored to the cloth with heavy thread.

3. to act or serve as an anchor for.

   He anchored the evening news.

verb (used without object)

• anchors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• anchored,
  past participle,  past
• anchoring
  present participle

1. to drop anchor; lie or ride at anchor.

   The ship anchored at dawn.

2. to keep hold or be firmly fixed.

   The insect anchored fast to its prey.

3. Sports, Radio and Television. to act or serve as an anchor.

idioms

1. drop anchor, to anchor a vessel.

   They dropped anchor in a bay to escape the storm.

2. drag anchor, (of a vessel) to move with a current or wind because an anchor has failed to hold.

3. weigh anchor, to raise the anchor.

   We will weigh anchor at dawn.

4. at anchor, held in place by an anchor.

   The luxury liner is at anchor in the harbor.

anchor British  

/ ˈæŋkə /

noun

1. 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

2. an object used to hold something else firmly in place

   the rock provided an anchor for the rope

3. a source of stability or security

   religion was his anchor

4. 1. a metal cramp, bolt, or similar fitting, esp one used to make a connection to masonry

   2. ( as modifier )

      anchor bolt

      anchor plate

5. 1. the rear person in a tug-of-war team

   2. short for anchorman anchorwoman

6. (of a vessel) anchored

7. to anchor a vessel

8. See drag

9. to be anchored

10. to raise a vessel's anchor or (of a vessel) to have its anchor raised in preparation for departure

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verb

1. to use an anchor to hold (a vessel) in one place

2. to fasten or be fastened securely; fix or become fixed firmly

3. (tr) radio television to act as an anchorman on

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reanchor
  verb
• anchorable
  adjective
• anchorless
  adjective
• anchorlike
  adjective
• unanchored
  adjective
• well-anchored
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anchors
  plural

Participles

• anchoring
  present
• anchored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• anchor
  simple
• anchors
  simple
• have anchored
  perfect
• has anchored
  perfect
• am anchoring
  progressive
• are anchoring
  progressive
• is anchoring
  progressive
• have been anchoring
  perfect progressive
• has been anchoring
  perfect progressive

Past

• anchored
  simple
• had anchored
  perfect
• was anchoring
  progressive
• were anchoring
  progressive
• had been anchoring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will anchor
  simple
• will have anchored
  perfect
• will be anchoring
  progressive
• will have been anchoring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of anchor

First recorded before 900; Middle English anker, ancre, Old English ancor, ancer, ancra (compare Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German anker ), from Latin anc(h)ora, from Greek ánkȳra

Explanation

On a boat, an anchor is a heavy object attached to a rope. You toss it overboard, it sinks to the bottom, and your vessel doesn't move. Anchor has the sense of what holds something in place. When you anchor a bookshelf to the wall, you affix it to the wall so it won't come down. The anchor of a relay race is the last person to run. It's their job to hold the team's lead. And on televised news, the anchor is the person who is front and center delivering the current events, the one who draws viewers to the news on that particular station.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anchor anchors anchored anchoring

Splash opened in 1991 and closed in 2013, serving for 22 years as the anchor of gay Chelsea.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Data centers “are the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck,” said the memo, which was first obtained by Axios.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

Fox News parted ways with Maria Bartiromo after the longtime anchor disclosed coverage plans to the White House.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

O’Donnell left the morning shift in 2019 to become anchor of the “CBS Evening News.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

He waited for it to beach itself, and then he dropped anchor and stepped onto the island.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

But he said a few "anchors" helped him to lay the foundations for adulthood.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Sam said he had more than 50 professionals in his life, and having "anchors" who supported him was vital.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

All told, the U.S. aluminum sector anchors roughly 700,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs, with over $228 billion in economic output.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Rope swings and highlines, on the other hand, have redundant safety attachments and set anchors in surrounding rock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Climbing the giant swells, the boat clung to the sea anchors like a mountain climber to a rope.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

“The Angels are a storied franchise anchored in a great market,” Kroenke said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

"These results reflect diligence, resilience and a prosecutorial approach anchored on evidence and courtroom outcomes."

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Notably, long-term inflation expectations have remained anchored, with the bond market instead passing on the adjustment through higher real rates.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

The Beaumont project anchored Woodside’s plans to invest up to US$5 billion in so-called new energy projects worldwide by 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Beach towels are strewn across the lumpy seashore, striped umbrellas and plastic pails anchored beside them.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Playing the high-strung mayor in “Widow’s Bay,” Rhys shifts between droll humor and genuine terror with ease, anchoring the show’s winning blend of real and supernatural.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Unlike virtual dark tourism that allows for “armchair travel” to real-world dark heritage sites, there is no physical location anchoring the Backrooms nor any historical tragedy to commemorate.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

He and four co-hosts rotated, with Bergstrom anchoring the prime hours and bleeding into some of the others’ time slots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

Pollution, and disturbance from anchoring, bottom trawling and dredging and coastal development have all contributed to its decline, the trust said.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

The roots began to move, digging deeper as they touched the earth, anchoring the oak until it looked like it had stood in that spot for centuries.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• attach
• dock
• fasten
• fix
• moor
• secure
• tie up