Harbor

/ˈhɑːbə/ name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Any place of shelter.
  • Grammar: harbor is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: haven, accommodate, accommodate, admit.
  • Useful contrasts: betray, danger, discard.
  • Usage evidence: You will see a forest of masts in the harbor.

How to use "harbor"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "harbor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "harbor" 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 "harbor" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "harbor" 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 "harbor" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "haven" 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 "harbor", 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. 1
    Any place of shelter. US, countable

    "The neighborhood is a well-known harbor for petty thieves."

  2. 2
    a place of refuge and comfort and security wordnet
  3. 3
    A sheltered expanse of water, adjacent to land, in which ships may anchor or dock, especially for loading and unloading. US, countable

    "[T]here aboutes dwelt greate multitudes of people half wilde, hiding thẽſelues in caues of the grounde, of ſmall ſtature, and very fearefull, for as ſoone as they ſawe them they fled into their holes, and that there was a great riuer and very good harborough."

  4. 4
    a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo wordnet
  5. 5
    A mixing box for materials. US, countable
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A house of the zodiac, or the mansion of a heavenly body. US, countable, obsolete
  2. 7
    Shelter, refuge. US, obsolete, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To provide a harbor or safe place for. US, transitive

    "The docks, which once harbored tall ships, now harbor only petty thieves."

  2. 2
    maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings) wordnet
  3. 3
    To take refuge or shelter in a protected expanse of water. US, intransitive

    "The fleet harbored in the south."

  4. 4
    hold back a thought or feeling about wordnet
  5. 5
    To drive (a hunted stag) to covert. US, transitive

    "This is the time that the horseman are flung out, not having the cry to lead them to the death. When quadruped animals of the venery or hunting kind are at rest, the stag is said to be harboured, the buck lodged, the fox kennelled, the badger earthed, the otter vented or watched, the hare formed, and the rabbit set."

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    keep in one's possession; of animals wordnet
  2. 7
    To hold or persistently entertain in one's thoughts or mind. US, transitive

    "She harbors a conviction that her husband has a secret, criminal past."

  3. 8
    secretly shelter (as of fugitives or criminals) wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname, variant of Harbour. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A census-designated place in Curry County, Oregon, United States. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
havenaccommodateaccommodateadmitanchorageanchorage ground

Example

"You will see a forest of masts in the harbor."

Common questions

What does "harbor" mean?

Any place of shelter.

What is a synonym for "harbor"?

Common synonyms include: haven, accommodate, accommodate, admit, anchorage, anchorage ground.

How do you use "harbor" in a sentence?

You will see a forest of masts in the harbor.

How do you pronounce "harbor"?

Pronounced /ˈhɑːbə/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English herberwe, herber, from Old English herebeorg (“shelter, lodgings, quarters”), from Proto-West Germanic *harjabergu (“army shelter, refuge”), from *harjaz (“army”) + *bergō (“protection”), equivalent to Old English here (“army, host”) + beorg (“defense, protection, refuge”). Doublet of albergo and auberge. See also borrow, bury, harbinger, harry and here.

Etymology 2

From Middle English herberwen, herbere, from Old English herebeorgian (“to take up one's quarters, lodge”), from the noun (see above).

Etymology 3

English surname, variant of Harbour.

More for "harbor"

Synonyms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsBrowse writing guidesExplore topic clusters