HARBOR Synonyms: 163 Similar and Opposite Words

harbor 1 of 2

noun

ˈhär-bər

as in port

a part of a body of water protected and deep enough to be a place of safety for ships the tanker stayed in Boston harbor three days to undergo repairs

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Relevance

as in refuge

something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger seeking a harbor from the drenching rain, we unfortunately chose a bank where a robbery was taking place

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harbor

2 of 2

verb

as in to have

to keep in one's mind or heart he had long harbored a grudge against his old employer, who had high-handedly fired him without cause

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to house

to provide with living quarters or shelter the woods in our suburb harbor deer, foxes, raccoons, and skunks

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eject
evict

as in to shelter

to be or provide a shelter for the little cabin is harbored from the wind by a thick growth of pines

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

expose

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of harbor

Noun

With the retrieval of Leopold’s typewriter from a harbor in Jackson Park, the chain of evidence that connected the two young men to the crime was complete. —

Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2026 Spend time wandering the surrounding Mediterranean garden, which is dotted with walnut, carob, orange, and olive trees, before making the 40-minute coastal drive to Chania’s 14th-century Venetian harbor. —

Katie Silcox, Vogue, 28 May 2026

Verb

Jaime Dunaway-Seale, the report author, said college students may be harboring unrealistic hopes about starting pay in an era of steadily rising costs for housing, consumer goods and most everything else. —

Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 May 2026 Though red dwarfs only possess between 8% and 60% of the mass of the sun, and are thus much cooler than our star, they are believed to harbor incredibly hot and violent interiors. —

Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for harbor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbor

Noun

In December, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland, and the UAE maintains an expansive commercial and military presence in the port city of Berbera.

— Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 June 2026
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike that hit Qlaileh village as seen from the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, on Tuesday.

— Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 4 June 2026