moor

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈmu̇r 

1

chiefly British : an expanse of open rolling infertile land

2

: a boggy area

especially : one that is peaty and dominated by grasses and sedges

moor

2 of 3

verb

moored; mooring; moors

transitive verb

: to make fast with or as if with cables, lines, or anchors : anchor

intransitive verb

1

: to secure a boat by mooring : anchor

2

: to be made fast

Moor

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈmu̇r 

1

: one of the Arab and Berber conquerors of Spain

2

: berber

Moorish

ˈmu̇r-ish 

adjective

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• prairie
• steppe
• plain
• grassland
• meadow

Verb

• fasten
• secure
• anchor
• clamp
• hitch
• catch

Examples of moor in a Sentence

Noun (1)

as she wanders the windswept moor, the novel's heroine vows that she will never marry the vicar

a mysterious figure who was said to have haunted the moors of southwest England

Verb

We found a harbor and moored the boat there for the night.

The boat was moored alongside the dock.

We need to find a place to moor for the night.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Note that Qualcomm is an advisory client of my company, Moor Insights & Strategy. —Patrick Moorhead, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

There’s no better spot to catch sunset than at Awol Provincetown, located in the far West End overlooking the moors. —Cameron Sperance, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2025

Verb

In the tropical Pacific Ocean, La Niña and El Niño are detected by many methods, including satellites, moored buoys, drifting buoys, sea level analysis and expendable buoys, according to NOAA. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

Shortly after the attack, video footage was released by Russian sources that seemed to show the disabled mothership moored near shore. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025

Noun

Farke has a decision to make at Turf Moor on Saturday. —Beren Cross, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

Moor declined to provide specifics regarding Frank's replacement and how his departure may impact the publication's coverage. —Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English mor, from Old English mōr; akin to Old High German muor moor

Verb

Middle English moren; akin to Middle Dutch meren, maren to tie, moor

Noun (2)

Middle English More, from Anglo-French, from Latin Maurus inhabitant of Mauretania

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for moor

• boor
• cour
• cure
• jure
• lure
• pure
• spoor
• sure
• tour
• abjure
• adjure
• allure

Kids Definition

moor

1 of 3 noun

ˈmu̇(ə)r 

: a boggy area

especially : one that is peaty and dominated by grasses and sedges

moor

2 of 3 verb

: to fasten in place with cables, lines, or anchors

moor a boat

moorage

-ij

noun

Moor

3 of 3 noun

ˈmu̇(ə)r 

: one of a North African people that conquered Spain in the 8th century and ruled until 1492

Moorish

-ish 

adjective

Etymology

Noun

Old English mōr "an area of open and wet wasteland"

Verb

Middle English moren "to fasten (a boat) in place"

Noun

Middle English More "Moor," from early French More (same meaning), from Latin Maurus "a person from Mauretania (a country in Africa)"