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

And Jeremy is the handsome cipher, the seemingly long-suffering dreamboat of a husband who may or may not be harboring more ominous intentions. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Also arrested and charged with being accessories after the fact for harboring Gallon IV after the shooting were Kendrick Jose Watkins, 36, Frederick Lee Watkins, 31, and Andre Darrell Copeland, 50. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Another person has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of a young man at a Boise house party, and two women were arrested for allegedly harboring him. — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 25 Sep. 2026

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