harbour
Americannoun
noun
-
a sheltered port
-
a place of refuge or safety
verb
-
(tr) to give shelter to
to harbour a criminal
-
(tr) to maintain secretly
to harbour a grudge
-
to shelter (a vessel) in a harbour or (of a vessel) to seek shelter
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of harbour
Old English herebeorg, from here troop, army + beorg shelter; related to Old High German heriberga hostelry, Old Norse herbergi
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.
A peatland that deep has been known to harbour more than 6,000 tonnes of carbon – roughly equivalent to the annual CO₂ emissions of 4,800 cars – per hectare.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Marmalade the harbour seal was a familiar visitor to the River Thames, often popping up at Greenwich and Rotherhithe in south-east London.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Marmalade was considered rare because there are only 500 harbour seals living in the river, compared with about 3,000 of the more common grey seals.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Archaeologists have found pieces of Greek pottery, as well as rooms and large jars for storing goods from the harbour, discoveries that Karam said showed the ancient city's "lively commercial activity".
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
So when the ship docked at the harbour in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens, Piper resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
