What does "anchor" mean?
A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
Anchor
/ˈæŋ.kɚ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
- Grammar: anchor is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: mainstay, abutment, affix, anchorage.
- Useful contrasts: drifting organisms, dutch schuiven, unanchored.
- Usage evidence: They usually use an anchor to hold a yacht in place.
How to use "anchor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "anchor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "anchor" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "anchor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "anchor" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "anchor" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "mainstay" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "anchor", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
"Men that I knew around Wapatomac didn't wear high, shiny plug hats, nor yeller spring overcoats, nor carry canes with ivory heads as big as a catboat's anchor, as you might say."
- 2 An anchorite or anchoress. obsolete
"Nor earth to me giue foode, nor heauen light, / Sport and repoſe lock from me day and night, / To deſperation turn my truſt and hope, / And Anchors cheere in priſon be my ſcope, […]"
- 3 Alternative form of anker. alt-of, alternative
- 4 a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving wordnet
- 5 An iron device so shaped as to grip the bottom and hold a vessel at her berth by the chain or rope attached. (FM 55-501).
Show 22 more definitions
- 6 a central cohesive source of support and stability wordnet
- 7 The combined anchoring gear (anchor, rode, bill/peak and fittings such as bitts, cat, and windlass.)
- 8 a television reporter who coordinates a broadcast to which several correspondents contribute wordnet
- 9 Representation of the nautical tool, used as a heraldic charge.
- 10 Any instrument serving a purpose like that of a ship's anchor, such as an arrangement of timber to hold a dam fast; a device to hold the end of a bridge cable etc.; or a device used in metalworking to hold the core of a mould in place.
- 11 A marked point in a document that can be the target of a hyperlink. Internet
- 12 A line of code in a program which acts as a reference point for further code to be added immediately before or after, usually via copy and paste.
- 13 An anchorman or anchorwoman.
"Condoleezza Rice pops up on Fox to be told by the anchor: “When you invade a sovereign nation, that is a war crime.”"
- 14 The final runner in a relay race.
- 15 A point that is touched by the draw hand or string when the bow is fully drawn and ready to shoot.
- 16 A superstore or other facility that serves as a focus to bring customers into an area.
"Supermarkets have also had to adjust. Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda have put a much greater emphasis on developing smaller high street stores or becoming anchors for mixed-used regeneration schemes […]"
- 17 That which gives stability or security. figuratively
"which hope we have as an anchor of the soul"
- 18 A metal tie holding adjoining parts of a building together.
- 19 A screw anchor. US
- 20 Carved work, somewhat resembling an anchor or arrowhead; part of the ornaments of certain mouldings. It is seen in the echinus, or egg-and-anchor (called also egg-and-dart, egg-and-tongue) ornament.
- 21 One of the anchor-shaped spicules of certain sponges.
- 22 One of the calcareous spinules of certain holothurians, as in species of Synapta.
- 23 The thirty-fifth Lenormand card.
- 24 The brake of a vehicle. slang
"I saw Tim look back through the rear window of the cab and prayed he wouldn't do the first thing that came into his mind and step on the anchors."
- 25 A defensive player, especially one who counters the opposition's best offensive player.
"Phil Foden once again demonstrated his pedigree and will push for a start, while Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips will hope he has done enough to get a chance as a defensive midfield anchor if Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson fails to recover full fitness after groin surgery."
- 26 A batter who remains in for a long time.
- 27 A device for attaching a climber at the top of a climb, such as a chain or ring or a natural feature.
Verb
- 1 To connect an object, especially a ship or a boat, to a fixed point.
- 2 secure a vessel with an anchor wordnet
- 3 To cast anchor; to come to anchor.
"Our ship (or the captain) anchored in the stream."
- 4 fix firmly and stably wordnet
- 5 To stop; to fix or rest.
"My invention […] anchors on Isabel."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To provide emotional stability for a person in distress.
- 7 To perform as an anchorman or anchorwoman.
- 8 To be stuck; to be unable to move away from a position.
"It is an incredible tale and one that makes no sense on so many levels. Only two years ago Leicester were anchored to the foot of the Premier League and staring at the prospect of relegation to the Championship under Nigel Pearson."
Proper Noun
- 1 A male given name.
Antonyms
Example
"They usually use an anchor to hold a yacht in place."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "anchor"?
Common synonyms include: mainstay, abutment, affix, anchorage, anchored, anchoring point.
How do you use "anchor" in a sentence?
They usually use an anchor to hold a yacht in place.
How do you pronounce "anchor"?
Pronounced /ˈæŋ.kɚ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English anker, from Old English ancor, ancra, from Latin ancora, from (or cognate with) Ancient Greek ἄγκυρα (ánkura). The modern form is a sixteenth-century modification after the Medieval Latin spelling anchora. Doublet of ancora, anker, angora, and Ankara.
Etymology 2
From Middle English anchoren, ankeren, either from the noun or perhaps (via Old French ancrer) from a Medieval Latin verb ancorare, from the same Latin word ancora.
Etymology 3
Inherited from Middle English ankre, ancre, from Old English ancer, ancra, from Latin anachōrēta, anachōrīta, either with significant shortening of the word within Old English or via an unattested Old Irish form.
Etymology 4
Alternative form.
Etymology 5
From anchor (“mooring device”).