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 of moor

Noun (1)

• prairie
• steppe
• plain
• grassland

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

Neil Hagdorn heard the cracking of the land, the rush of water as if a landslide were spilling down from the treeless moor hills to the east. — Literary Hub, 9 July 2026

Everything about this verdant, bucolic space is antithetical to the fog, fire, and wide-open, sprawling moors that have so far dominated the movie. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026

Verb

Powering oil operations with wind turbine A tension-leg platform (TLP) is a buoyant, floating structure moored to the seafloor by taut, vertical steel cables. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 June 2026

One tech mogul asked if the harbor could accommodate mooring a 100-foot sailboat. — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 27 June 2026

Noun

Their attempt to repeat immediate promotion will begin at Burnley’s Turf Moor on Sunday, August 16, before their first London derby of the campaign against Charlton Athletic in their first home fixture, six days later. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 25 June 2026

The story takes place in Sunny Moor Woods just before Christmas. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 22 June 2026

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)"