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

The United States also took measures to restrict passports during the anti-communist McCarthy era in the 1940s and 50s, refusing to issue or canceling passports of those accused of harboring communist sympathies. — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026

Three years post-divorce and still harboring an aversion to the holiday, Amanda is heading to Vermont with her sister Lucy (Williams) to enjoy an un-Christmasy getaway…and finds that Jack is on their flight. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

Nick Dean One year later, in August 2025, a six-person jury in Douglas County found Oliver not guilty of misdemeanor charges of harboring a dangerous dog. — Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 22 Aug. 2026

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan — a charge Kabul denies. — Abdul Qahar Afghan, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026

But criticism of the outdoor dining arrangements built up, with detractors saying the spots were unsightly, dirty, and harboring rats. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026

After harboring his suspicions about McDonnell’s finances, Carroll was fed up and went to her father. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2026

The historic infection rate average for blacklegged ticks harboring the bacteria that causes Lyme disease is 32%, according to Molaei. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2026

Like the initial story, Millie’s employers (Dunst and Kelly portray the spouses) are harboring a dark, sinister secret. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026