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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harboring
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 compromise of 1850 had made harboring fugitive slaves a crime under federal law, even if, even in those states that had abolished slavery.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 18 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
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
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 June 2026
The compromise of 1850 had made harboring fugitive slaves a crime under federal law, even if, even in those states that had abolished slavery.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 18 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harboring
Verb
-
And director Spike Lee was having the time of his life on top of a bus.—
Amina Kilpatrick,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
-
The decision set new limits on federal prosecution of gun owners who are targeted simply for having a history of drug use.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Families can choose suites accommodating up to five people (some with swim-up access) or two-bedroom villas with private pools and butler service for up to six.—
Chelsea Adams,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
The Law Commission concluded that the common law was flexible enough to recognise a distinct category of personal property capable of accommodating crypto tokens and other digital assets.—
Susie Violet Ward,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Moore’s wartime Shelter Drawings depict families sheltering in the London Underground during air raids, while foreshadowing the abstract, organic forms of his later sculpture.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
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If there was any threshold of flooding at which sheltering in place would be abandoned and campers would be instructed how and where to evacuate to higher ground, that plan would have been known only to the camp’s co-executive director, Dick Eastland.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
Canada is now tied with Switzerland atop Group B, with both teams holding four points after two matches.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
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There are also the remnants of a statue thought to be of Silvanus, the Roman god of the countryside, holding a small animal in one hand and a basket adorned with birds in another.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Verb
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About 150 miles from SoFi Stadium, south of the Mexican border, sits the hotel housing Iran’s World Cup team for its games at the Inglewood venue.—
Gabriela Aoun Angueira,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
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These three new cafes flip the script, presenting themselves first as coffee shops while housing other businesses within.—
Henri Hollis,
AJC.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Martha Lopez-Anderson is executive director of Parent Heart Watch, a nonprofit based in Orlando that is dedicated to protecting children and young adults from sudden cardiac arrest and preventable sudden cardiac death by educating and advocating for change.—
Martha Lopez-Anderson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 June 2026
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Khalil trained a generation of volunteers in ecological conservation, protecting the Mediterranean coastline and the endangered sea turtles that travel hundreds of miles to return to the same beaches where they were hatched to lay their eggs.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Fairmont Kea Lani Wailea, Maui, Hawaii With 413 one-bedroom suites and 37 two- and three-bedroom two-story villas, Fairmont Kea Lani offers lodging options for families of all sizes.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
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The mild weather draws visitors, and lodging prices tend to rise accordingly.—
Tamara Gane,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
Verb
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For years, state regulators had asked the Sheriff’s Office to stop triple-bunking people, a practice the department acknowledged was dangerous.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harboring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harboring. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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