harbour

[ hahr-ber ]

/ ˈhɑr bər /

Save This Word!

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

harbor.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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