harbour

[ hahr-ber ]

/ ˈhɑr bər /

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noun, verb (used with or without object) Chiefly British.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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usage note for harbour

See -or¹.

Words nearby harbour

harbor, harborage, harbor master, harbor seal, harborside, harbour, harbourage, harbour master, harbour seal, hard, hard act to follow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use harbour in a sentence

From their first weeks of life, harbour seals can change the tone of their voice to make themselves heard.
Baby seals sing bass notes when they want attention|Philip Kiefer|November 2, 2021|Popular-Science
A harbour seal named Hoover was found and raised by a Maine fisherman, and spent his adult years in an aquarium hollering at visitors in a thick New England accent.
Baby seals sing bass notes when they want attention|Philip Kiefer|November 2, 2021|Popular-Science
They include “The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell” painted in 1932 and “The Harbour, Cannes,” painted circa 1933.
Churchill’s Secret Treasures for Sale: A British PM’s Life on the Auction Block|Tom Teodorczuk|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After the race the Duke and Duchess had a thrilling, bouncy ride across the harbour in an amphibious vehicle.
Kate Rules The Waves And Thrashes William|Tom Sykes|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Once I told him how much I admired his masterful description of Sydney Harbour in his book The Fatal Shore.
Remembering Critic Robert Hughes: A Torrent of Brilliant Words|James Fox|August 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I took the last water taxi running from Eleuthera to Harbour Island.
Our Visit From Irene|India Hicks|August 27, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Subig is a fine natural harbour, but with precipitous shores just as Nature has made it.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Foreign families of neutral nationality sought more tranquil asylum far beyond the suburbs or on ships lying in the harbour.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The submarine E.14 sailed into harbour after a series of hair-raising adventures in the Sea of Marmora.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
There is no protection there for the ships against submarines except Enos harbour and Enos is only one fathom deep.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
On such occasions continual salutes are fired from the imperial ships, and sometimes from others in the harbour.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for harbour

harbour

US harbor

/ (ˈhɑːbə) /

noun

a sheltered port

a place of refuge or safety

verb

(tr) to give shelter toto harbour a criminal

(tr) to maintain secretlyto harbour a grudge

to shelter (a vessel) in a harbour or (of a vessel) to seek shelter

Derived forms of harbour

harbourer or US harborer, nounharbourless or US harborless, adjective

Word Origin for harbour

Old English herebeorg, from here troop, army + beorg shelter; related to Old High German heriberga hostelry, Old Norse herbergi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012