Synonyms of harboring

harboring

verb

present participle of harbor

1

as in having

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• having
• holding
• retaining
• cultivating
• cherishing
• keeping
• bearing
• carrying
• maintaining
• entertaining
• fostering
• holding on to
• sustaining
• nursing
• preserving
• supporting
• nurturing
• remembering
• hugging
• hanging on to
• sticking (to)
• treasuring
• clinging (to)
• cleaving (to)
• brooding (about or over)
• obsessing (about or over)
• fixating (on or upon)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• denying
• overlooking
• neglecting
• forgetting
• disregarding
• dropping
• refusing
• rejecting
• declining
• abandoning
• repudiating
• discarding
• renouncing
• deserting
• forsaking
• disdaining
• giving up
• scorning
• quitting
• parting (with)
• abjuring
• erasing
• throwing out
• expunging

2

as in accommodating

to provide with living quarters or shelter

the woods in our suburb harbor deer, foxes, raccoons, and skunks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accommodating
• housing
• sheltering
• lodging
• bunking
• rooming
• bestowing
• camping
• boarding
• billeting
• quartering
• taking in
• encamping
• domiciling
• roofing
• shedding
• bivouacking
• securing
• homing
• chambering
• putting up
• ensconcing
• stabling
• roosting
• tenting
• bedding (down)
• barracking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ejecting
• evicting

3

as in sheltering

to be or provide a shelter for

the little cabin is harbored from the wind by a thick growth of pines

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sheltering
• protecting
• housing
• defending
• securing
• refuging
• safeguarding
• shielding
• warding
• covering
• screening
• placing
• quartering
• shading
• domiciling
• shadowing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exposing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of harboring

Some of those ​arrested were undocumented migrants detained for violating ​immigration rules, while others were arrested for public violence, harboring ‌illegal immigrants and robbery. — Reuters, NBC news, 1 July 2026

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban government of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the TTP. — CBS News, 28 June 2026

As SpaceX shows by paying stock not cash for Cursor, harboring shares that by all fundamental measures look highly inflated carries a major advantage in making acquisitions—the tie-up would water down SpaceX shareholders a lot more if its market cap weren’t on such a tear. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 June 2026

The organism living inside its partner organism is called an endosymbiont, and the partner harboring the endosymbiont is called the host. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 June 2026

By harboring terrorists and letting its facilities serve as Hamas headquarters, UNRWA has become an arm of Hamas. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026

Pakistan is also embroiled in a conflict with neighboring Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of harboring Pakistani militants who are fighting against the government in Islamabad — a charge Kabul denies. — ABC News, 12 June 2026

Wood cutting boards are notorious for harboring bacteria within their organic surface. — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 5 June 2026

The 32-year-old grew up in Boise, Idaho, playing football on his high school team but harboring dreams to perform. — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026