harbor

American  

[hahr-ber] / ˈhɑr bər /

especially British, harbour

noun

harbors plural

1. 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.

2. such a body of water having docks or port facilities.

3. any place of shelter or refuge.

   The old inn was a harbor for tired travelers.

   Synonyms:

   retreat, sanctuary, asylum

---

verb (used with object)

1. to give shelter to; offer refuge to.

   They harbored the refugees who streamed across the borders.

   Synonyms:

   lodge, protect

2. to conceal; hide.

   to harbor fugitives.

3. to keep or hold in the mind; maintain; entertain.

   to harbor suspicion.

4. to house or contain.

5. to shelter (a vessel), as in a harbor.

verb (used without object)

1. (of a vessel) to take shelter in a harbor.

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

• harborer
  noun
• harborless
  adjective
• harborous
  adjective
• unharbored
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• harbors
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

harbor harbors

In the Crimean War, British supplies sat in the harbor while the army froze.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Upon sailing into the harbor, they realized the frigate was too damaged to sail, so rather than leave it in enemy hands, they burned it to the waterline.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

The Statue of Liberty, the copper-clad sculpture of a robed and crowned woman holding a torch above her head, sits in New York's harbor and draws millions of visitors each year.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

He noted that the federal contribution to rebuild the breakwater, which creates the inner harbor that allows fishermen and lobstermen to work, was $6 million.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

Gorringe and his troublemakers have spent the last few months building a huge watertight container, which they will use to tow the obelisk to the harbor.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Here are three excursions that will take you into coves, harbors and waterways the big ships can’t reach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

“An extraordinary Solebury estate harbors more than three centuries of history, beauty, and preservation,” it notes.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026

Charter fishing crews in California harbors are preparing for recreational salmon fishing to reopen after a two-year shutdown.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

"Our analysis shows that these animals originated in the deep ocean, a habitat which still harbors species like the ram's horn squid," says Sanchez.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 1, 2026

Pointing to the map in Major Cooper’s arms, Wheeler described a more aggressive alternative: mine North Vietnamese harbors to block Soviet and Chinese ships bringing in military supplies.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• dock
• inlet
• pier
• port
• road
• wharf