harbor
Americannoun
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harbors
plural
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a part of a body of water along the shore deep enough for anchoring a ship and so situated with respect to coastal features, whether natural or artificial, as to provide protection from winds, waves, and currents.
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such a body of water having docks or port facilities.
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any place of shelter or refuge.
The old inn was a harbor for tired travelers.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
Synonym Usage
Harbor, haven, port indicate a shelter for ships. A harbor may be natural or artificially constructed or improved: a fine harbor on the eastern coast. A haven is usually a natural harbor that can be utilized by ships as a place of safety; the word is common in literary use: a haven in time of storm; a haven of refuge. A port is a harbor viewed especially in its commercial relations, though it is frequently applied in the meaning of harbor or haven also: a thriving port; any old port in a storm. See cherish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of harbor
before 1150; Middle English herber ( we ), herberge, Old English herebeorg lodgings, quarters ( here army + ( ge ) beorg refuge); cognate with German Herberge
Explanation
A harbor is a safe place providing refuge and comfort. If you're traveling, the harbor provided by a warm hotel is welcome. For ships, a harbor is a sheltered port area shielded from waves, where it's safe to dock. Harbor can also be used as a verb, which describes maintaining a belief or a feeling. If you harbor ill-will toward your neighbor John, you don't like him much. Harbor can also mean you hold back your ideas and don't express them openly. John may have no idea you hate him if you harbor your true feelings deep inside, but pretend you like him to his face.
Vocabulary lists containing harbor
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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:
Charter Amendment PRT would affect the city’s departments of airports, harbor and water and power, which operate as self-funding businesses that report to three different boards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
In Singapore, TotalEnergies entertained guests at the Clifford Pier, a chandelier-lit hall overlooking the harbor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The big, green lady in the harbor and the melting pot and all that.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
While Eves sees the pragmatic payoff of Apple staying in the Trump administration’s good graces, he and many other employees harbor mixed feelings about Cook’s relationship with the president.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
On April 12, 1861, Confederate cannons in Charleston, South Carolina, fired on the U.S. garrison at Fort Sumter in the harbor.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
River otters are not to be confused with sea otters, which live in the ocean, bays and harbors and can grow to be up to five feet and 100 pounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
But new research has revealed that this familiar element harbors an unexpectedly complex quantum landscape hidden within its electronic structure.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
“An extraordinary Solebury estate harbors more than three centuries of history, beauty, and preservation,” it notes.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
He supports the geotubes, but harbors no illusions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
I didn’t know who I should follow, or even which way the harbor was, and weren’t there a lot of harbors in Boston?
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
