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harbor Definition

har·bor (härbər)

noun

  1. a place of refuge, safety, etc.; retreat; shelter
  2. a protected inlet, or branch of a sea, lake, etc., where ships can anchor, esp. one with port facilities

Etymology: ME herberwe < OE herebeorg (& ON herbergi), lit., army shelter (< here, army + beorg, a shelter), akin to OHG heriberga: see harbinger

transitive verb

  1. to serve as, or provide, a place of protection to; shelter or house; conceal or hide
  2. to be the dwelling place or habitat of
  3. to hold in the mind; cling to to harbor a grudge

intransitive verb

  1. to take shelter, as in a harbor
  2. to live or exist

harbor Related Forms
har·borer noun har·bor·less adjective
harbor Synonyms

harbor

n.

  1. A place of refuge

    refuge, retreat, sanctuary; see shelter.

  2. A port

    anchorage, haven, roadstead, pier, breakwater, landing place, navigable bay, arm of the sea, harborage, inlet, jetty, embankment, wharf, mole; see also dock 1.

harbor Synonyms

harbor

v.

  1. To protect

    shelter, provide refuge, secure; see defend 2.

  2. To consider

    entertain, cherish, regard; see consider 1.

  3. To keep hidden

    suppress, withhold, hold back; see hide 1.

harbor Usage Examples

Object

  • resentment: I don't harbor any resentment against the audience for wanting to hear our older material.
  • terrorist: If you harbor terrorists, you are a terrorist.
  • illusion: We who contend for the human race's accountability to its Creator should not harbor any illusions.
  • secret: Nick harbors a deadly secret that could cost both of them their souls.
  • feeling: Never did the German people harbor hostile feeling against the peoples of Russia.

Converse of object

  • enter: By the time we enter the eternally safe harbor of the celestial city we are ready to be citizens there.
  • create: That's why scientists are so intrigued by creating safe harbors for fish, so they have a chance to mature and repopulate.

Adjective modifier

  • one-hour: Count the stars train rides are from one-hour harbor.
  • safe: There can be no safe harbor in the United States of America for violence.
  • natural: The islands have no rivers and are marked by winding coastlines forming numerous natural harbors.
  • large: In 2002, Kaohsiung harbor was the fifth largest harbor in the world in terms of the volume of container cargo processed.

Modifies a noun

  • quot: Safe harbor quot players will be spotted in airports.
  • terrorist: It was quite clear that the Taliban harbor terrorists.
  • seal: Bay, many harbor seals are fully or partially reddish in color.
  • entrance: The Lighthouse monument at Fort George Point towers over the harbor entrance.
  • provision: These forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
  • city: It had been the most important harbor city of the western Lycia for centuries.

Modifying Another Word

  • still: That said, China's neighbors still harbor suspicions about Beijing's long-term intentions.

Noun used with modifier

  • sand: May who was with an average sand harbor is.

Possessives

  • appreciation: To geico insurance co need an harbor ' capital appreciation.

Browse dictionary entries near harbor

  1. harbinger
  2. Harbin
  3. harassment
  4. harass
  5. Harare
  6. harangue
  7. Harald
  8. hara-kiri
  9. haptoglobin
  10. haptic
  1. harbor master
  2. harbor seal
  3. harborage
  4. harbour
  5. hard
  6. hard and fast
  7. hard-ass
  8. hard-bitten
  9. hard-boiled
  10. hard bop