haven

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noun ha·ven \ ˈhā-vən \

Definition of haven

1 :harbor, port

2 :a place of safety :refuge

3 :a place offering favorable opportunities or conditions

a haven for artists

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haven

transitive verb

See haven defined for English-language learners

See haven defined for kids

Examples of haven in a Sentence

The shelter offers a haven from abusive spouses.
The inn is a haven for weary travelers.
This national park provides a safe haven for wildlife.

Recent Examples of haven from the Web

Those concerns have prompted them to flee toward the safe haven of government bonds.

— kathy orton, chicagotribune.com, "30-year fixed mortgage rate sinks to its lowest level in nine months," 24 Aug. 2017
The Tax Justice Network estimated in 2016 that $12 trillion from developing countries was parked in offshore havens.

— sami j. karam, National Review, "A Different Kind of Border Wall," 21 Aug. 2017
The team hopes to turn the neighboring island of Saaremaa, almost three times bigger, into the nextmink haven.

— kata karáth, Science | AAAS, "Scientists think they can save the European mink—by killing its ruthless rivals," 16 Aug. 2017
Historically, Sag Harbor has been a haven for writers, artists, and the African-American community.

— hannah seligson, Town & Country, "Why Sag Harbor Is No Longer the Hamptons' Best-Kept Secret," 4 Aug. 2017
Ms. Yang partnered with remnants of the Chinese Nationalist troops who had been defeated by Mao’s Communists but continued to fight from havens in Burma.

— gabrielle paluch, New York Times, "The Female Warlord Who Had C.I.A. Connections and Opium Routes," 21 July 2017
By the time the youngest Statens arrived, hundreds of children had already found a haven there — dating back to the earliest days of Reconstruction when Kentucky Masons envisioned a place that could care for the widows and orphans of the Civil War.

— kristina goetz, The Courier-Journal, "Orphans come back to ‘The Home’ that took them in when no one else could," 20 July 2017
Her show debuted at the 2015 Kansas City Fringe Festival, known as a haven for avant-garde theater and art.

— aaron randle, kansascity, "KC actress finds comic way to deal with miserable disease: ‘The Taming of the Poo’," 16 July 2017
Its ailing kleptocrat, Mobutu Sese Seko, who had given the génocidaires haven, was not popular.

— The Economist, "Paul Kagame, feted and feared," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'haven.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of haven

Middle English, from Old English hæfen; akin to Middle High German habene harbor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

haven Synonyms

Synonyms

anchorage, harborage, harbor, port

Related Words

basin, dock, marina, moorage, mooring; arm, bay, bight, cove, creek [chiefly British], embayment, estuary, firth, fjord (also fiord), gulf, inlet, lagoon, loch [Scottish], lough [chiefly Irish], narrow, roads, roadstead; canal, channel, sound, strait; containerport, home port, seaport

HAVEN Defined for English Language Learners

haven

play

noun

Definition of haven for English Language Learners

: a place where you are protected from danger, trouble, etc.

HAVEN Defined for Kids

haven

play

noun ha·ven \ ˈhā-vən \

Definition of haven for Students

:a safe place

Learn More about haven

See words that rhyme with haven Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for haven Spanish Central: Translation of haven Nglish: Translation of haven for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of haven for Arabic speakers

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