harbour

[ hahr-ber ]

noun

, Chiefly British.

1. harbor.

harbour

/ ˈhɑːbə /

noun

1. a sheltered port
2. a place of refuge or safety

verb

1. tr to give shelter to

   to harbour a criminal

2. tr to maintain secretly

   to harbour a grudge

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

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Derived Forms

• ˈharbourer, noun
• ˈharbourless, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of harbour¹

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

Example Sentences

From their first weeks of life, harbour seals can change the tone of their voice to make themselves heard.

From 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.

From Popular-Science

They include “The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell” painted in 1932 and “The Harbour, Cannes,” painted circa 1933.

From The Daily Beast

After the race the Duke and Duchess had a thrilling, bouncy ride across the harbour in an amphibious vehicle.

From The Daily Beast

Once I told him how much I admired his masterful description of Sydney Harbour in his book The Fatal Shore.

From The Daily Beast

I took the last water taxi running from Eleuthera to Harbour Island.

From The Daily Beast

Subig is a fine natural harbour, but with precipitous shores just as Nature has made it.

From Project Gutenberg

Foreign families of neutral nationality sought more tranquil asylum far beyond the suburbs or on ships lying in the harbour.

From Project Gutenberg

The submarine E.14 sailed into harbour after a series of hair-raising adventures in the Sea of Marmora.

From Project Gutenberg

There is no protection there for the ships against submarines except Enos harbour and Enos is only one fathom deep.

From Project Gutenberg

On such occasions continual salutes are fired from the imperial ships, and sometimes from others in the harbour.

From Project Gutenberg