anchor

(ăngˈkər)

1. Nautical A heavy object attached to a vessel by a cable or rope and cast overboard to keep the vessel in place either by its weight or by its flukes, which grip the bottom.
2. A rigid point of support, as for securing a rope.
3. A source of security or stability.
4. Sports
   a. An athlete, usually the strongest member of a team, who performs the last stage of a relay race or other competition.
   b. The person at the end of a tug-of-war team.
5. An anchorperson.

1. To hold fast by or as if by an anchor. See Synonyms at fasten.
2. Sports To serve as an anchor for (a team or competition).
3. To narrate or coordinate (a newscast).
4. To provide or form an anchor store for: Two major stores anchor each end of the shopping mall.

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anchor

top to bottom: Danforth, admiralty, and stockless anchors