anchor

¹an·chor

noun, often attributive \ˈaŋ-kər\

Definition of ANCHOR

1

: a device usually of metal attached to a ship or boat by a cable and cast overboard to hold it in a particular place by means of a fluke that digs into the bottom

2

: a reliable or principal support : mainstay

3

: something that serves to hold an object firmly

4

: an object shaped like a ship's anchor

5

: an anchorman or anchorwoman

6

: the member of a team (as a relay team) that competes last

7

: a large business (as a department store) that attracts customers and other businesses to a shopping center or mall

8

: a fixed object (as a tree or a piton) to which a climber's rope is secured

— an·chor·less \-ləs\ adjective

— at anchor

: being anchored

Examples of ANCHOR

1. The ship dropped anchor in a secluded harbor.
2. He described his wife as the emotional anchor of his life.
3. a local bank that has been the financial anchor of the community

Illustration of ANCHOR

Origin of ANCHOR

Middle English ancre, from Old English ancor, from Latin anchora, from Greek ankyra; akin to Old English anga hook — more at angle

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to ANCHOR

Synonyms: anchorperson, newscaster, newsreader [chiefly British]

Related Words: anchorman, anchorwoman, coanchor; announcer, broadcaster, commentator, linkman [British], telecaster; correspondent, foreign correspondent, interviewer, journalist, newshound, newsie, newsman, newsperson, newswoman, reporter, stringer

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

Rhymes with ANCHOR

banker, canker, chancre, flanker, franker, hanker, rancor, ranker, spanker, tanker, thanker