harbour

UK: /ˈhɑː^rbə^r/ US: (här′bər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

har•bour  (här′bər), n., v.t., v.i. [Chiefly Brit.]

1. British Terms, Pronouns harbor.

Usage

See -or ¹.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

harbour, harbor / ˈhɑːbə/ noun

1. a sheltered port
2. a place of refuge or safety

verb

1. (transitive) to give shelter to: to harbour a criminal
2. (transitive) to maintain secretly: to harbour a grudge
3. to shelter (a vessel) in a harbour or (of a vessel) to seek shelter

Etymology: Old English herebeorg, from here troop, army + beorg shelter; related to Old High German heriberga hostelry, Old Norse herbergi

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

har•bor /ˈhɑrbɚ/   n. [countable]

1. a body of water deep enough for anchoring a ship and providing protection from the weather.
2. any place of shelter or safety.

v. [~ + object]

3. to give shelter to:
   to harbor refugees.
4. to conceal;
   hide:
   to harbor fugitives.
5. to keep or hold in the mind;
   entertain:
   harbored suspicions.

Also,[esp. Brit.,] ˈhar•bour. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

har•bor  (här′bər), n. 

1. a part of a body of water along the shore deep enough for anchoring a ship and so situated with respect to coastal features, whether natural or artificial, as to provide protection from winds, waves, and currents.
2. such a body of water having docks or port facilities.
3. any place of shelter or refuge:
   The old inn was a harbor for tired travelers.

v.t. 

4. to give shelter to;
   offer refuge to:
   They harbored the refugees who streamed across the borders.
5. to conceal;
   hide:
   to harbor fugitives.
6. to keep or hold in the mind;
   maintain;
   entertain:
   to harbor suspicion.
7. to house or contain.
8. Nautical, Naval Terms to shelter (a vessel), as in a harbor.

v.i. 

9. Nautical, Naval Terms (of a vessel) to take shelter in a harbor.

Also,[esp. Brit.,] harbour. 

• bef. 1150; Middle English herber(we), herberge, Old English herebeorg lodgings, quarters (here army + (ge)beorg refuge); cognate with German Herberge

har′bor•er, n. 
har′bor•less, adj. 
har′bor•ous, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. Harbor, haven, port indicate a shelter for ships. A harbor may be natural or artificially constructed or improved:
  a fine harbor on the eastern coast.
  A haven is usually a natural harbor that can be utilized by ships as a place of safety; the word is common in literary use:
  a haven in time of storm; a haven of refuge.
  A port is a harbor viewed esp. in its commercial relations, though it is frequently applied in the meaning of harbor or haven also:
  a thriving port; any old port in a storm.
• 3. asylum, sanctuary, retreat.
• 4. protect, lodge.
• 6. See cherish.