harbor
//ˈhɑːbə//
Forms
- Plural
- harbors
- present (v1)
- harbor
- past (v2)
- harbored
- past participle (v3)
- harbored
- present participle
- harboring
- 3rd person singular
- harbors
Definitions
1.Any place of shelter.
- The neighborhood is a well-known harbor for petty thieves.
2.A sheltered expanse of water, adjacent to land, in which ships may anchor or dock, especially for loading and unloading.
3.A mixing box for materials.
1.To take refuge or shelter in a protected expanse of water.
- The fleet harbored in the south.
2.To drive (a hunted stag) to covert.
3.To hold or persistently entertain in one's thoughts or mind.
- She harbors a conviction that her husband has a secret, criminal past.
- No one is saying that we should forget important parts of our own life stories. But that's not the same thing as harboring a grudge, is it?
- Once I returned to the U.S., rather than harboring a grudge toward my captors, I would insist on being reassigned to Montesangre, reopening the embassy, and reestablishing diplomatic relations with the new regime.
4.To provide a harbor or safe place for.
- The docks, which once harbored tall ships, now harbor only petty thieves.
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #4108
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
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”).