haven
Americannoun
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a harbor or port.
-
any place of shelter and safety; refuge; asylum.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a port, harbour, or other sheltered place for shipping
-
a place of safety or sanctuary; shelter
verb
Usage
What is a haven? A haven is any safe place, as in The woods can be a haven from a busy world. A safe place is the most common meaning of haven and can be used in many ways. For example, something can be a haven for a person (like your bedroom might be), for a particular behavior (as in a haven for corruption), or for a belief or religion. A haven can be a place safe from something negative or dangerous or a place safe for something negative or dangerous. A haven is also a harbor or port. In other words, it’s a place for a ship or other seagoing vehicle to dock safely or take refuge in during a storm. Haven appears in the phrase safe haven. A safe haven is a safe place for someone or something who is threatened. Haven also appears in the phrase tax haven. This is a location that has very low taxation rates for outside investors. The idea is that a tax haven provides a shelter from taxation. Example: My bedroom is a haven of peace in the midst of the chaos of Christmas decoration prep.
Synonym Usage
See harbor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of haven
First recorded before 1050; Middle English; Old English hæfen; cognate with Dutch haven, German Hafen, Old Norse hǫfn; akin to Old English hæf, Old Norse haf sea
Explanation
Need to find shelter, from the weather or from other troubles? Then you need a haven. Haven looks a lot like heaven, and the words have quite a bit in common. A haven isn't necessarily as wonderful as heaven is supposed to be, but it is a good place to find when you're in trouble or someone is after you. This word often appears in the phrase "safe haven," which is a good reminder of its meaning. A haven is a safe place, and people who are in trouble tend to seek havens.
Vocabulary lists containing haven
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A haven for refugees fleeing a civil war in the late ’90s, Minnesota is home to some 80,000 people of Somali descent, most of whom are citizens.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
When Shojin Samson, 23, came to Marquette from India, he felt St. Camillus would be a safe haven for him that felt like his home community, which also features a mix of generations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Who is the biggest purchaser of the world's biggest safe haven asset - gold?
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Traditional haven gold, meanwhile, had its worst quarter in 13 years after a blistering 2025 and early 2026 performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Then, entering his log, he looked around as if to etch forever in his memory this piece of dead tree that had been his haven.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
It enabled the business to dictate the policies it is known for and, as its website states, its pubs are "havens from the digital world".
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that "precise and calibrated strikes" targeted militant "hideouts and safe havens" in border areas, without commenting on civilian casualties.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
A market in which private equity increasingly buys up single-family housing isn’t going to yield havens of picket fences and prosperity.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
“Global capital continued to seek safe havens and access to Asian growth opportunities in a volatile macro environment,” Chief Executive Bonnie Y Chan said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
The natural state of things is coldness, and houses are fragile havens, holdouts in a death landscape, unforgettably comfortable, simple though they are, just because of their warmth.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
