harbour

[hahr-ber]

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

Usage note

See -or¹.

harbor

[hahr-ber]

noun

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.

such a body of water having docks or port facilities.

any place of shelter or refuge: The old inn was a harbor for tired travelers.

verb (used with object)

to give shelter to; offer refuge to: They harbored the refugees who streamed across the borders.

to conceal; hide: to harbor fugitives.

to keep or hold in the mind; maintain; entertain: to harbor suspicion.

to house or contain.

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

verb (used without object)

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

Also especially British, har·bour.

Origin of harbor

before 1150; Middle English herber(we), herberge, Old English herebeorg lodgings, quarters (here army + (ge)beorg refuge); cognate with German Herberge

Related formshar·bor·er, nounhar·bor·less, adjectivehar·bor·ous, adjectiveun·har·bored, adjective

Can be confuseddock harbor pier wharf

Synonyms for harbor

3. asylum, sanctuary, retreat. 4. protect, lodge.

Synonym study

1. 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. 6. See cherish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for harbour

Contemporary Examples of harbour

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
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
I took the last water taxi running from Eleuthera to Harbour Island.
Our Visit From Irene
India Hicks
August 27, 2011

Historical Examples of harbour

The big crane on the end of the mole was now on the Estremedura's quarter, and they were sliding into the mouth of the harbour.
For Jacinta
Harold Bindloss
The strangers departed, having promised the Johnsons to meet the next morning at an inn lower down the harbour.
Sea-Dogs All!
Tom Bevan
When Joseph Bouchette first entered the harbour of Toronto, as described above, he was not without associates.
Toronto of Old
Henry Scadding
The ship cast off and threaded its way through the shipping of the harbour out into the open sea.
The Book of Missionary Heroes
Basil Mathews
The Wolf reached Portsmouth after a somewhat long voyage, and going into harbour, was at once paid off.
The Rival Crusoes
W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for harbour

harbour

US harbor

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 Formsharbourer 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

Word Origin and History for harbour

chiefly British English spelling of harbor (n. and v.); for spelling, see -or.

harbor

Old English hereborgian, cognate with Old Norse herbergja, Old High German heribergon, Middle Dutch herbergen; see harbor (n.). Figuratively, of thoughts, etc., from late 14c. Related: Harbored; harboring.

harbor

"lodging for ships," early 12c., probably from Old English herebeorg "lodgings, quarters," from here "army, host" (see harry) + beorg "refuge, shelter" (related to beorgan "save, preserve;" see bury); perhaps modeled on Old Norse herbergi "room, lodgings, quarters." Sense shifted in Middle English to "refuge, lodgings," then to "place of shelter for ships."