Synonyms of harbors

harbors 1 of 2

noun

plural of harbor

1

as in ports

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ports
• anchorages
• docks
• coves
• bays
• havens
• roads
• lagoons
• marinas
• canals
• estuaries
• harborages
• basins
• channels
• inlets
• embayments
• fjords
• lochs
• narrows
• moorings
• seaports
• creeks
• bights
• straits
• sounds
• roadsteads
• firths
• arms
• gulfs
• moorages
• home ports
• loughs
• containerports

2

as in shelters

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shelters
• refuges
• sanctuaries
• retreats
• havens
• asylums
• residences
• sanctums
• oases
• harborages
• lodgings
• ports
• bolt-holes
• hideouts
• anchorages
• abodes
• rests
• fortresses
• strongholds
• quarters
• dwellings
• houses
• moorings
• sheds
• forts
• places
• housings
• screens
• hideaways
• habitations
• cloisters
• domiciles
• castles
• roofs
• coverts
• covers
• closets
• palisades
• dens
• diggings
• redoubts
• lairs
• hermitages
• windbreaks
• lees
• pads
• lodgments
• lean-tos

harbors

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of harbor

1

as in has

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

• has
• holds
• retains
• cherishes
• entertains
• cultivates
• maintains
• keeps
• bears
• carries
• nurses
• fosters
• nurtures
• sustains
• remembers
• preserves
• holds on to
• treasures
• supports
• hangs on to
• hugs
• sticks (to)
• clings (to)
• cleaves (to)
• fixates (on or upon)
• broods (about or over)
• obsesses (about or over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignores
• overlooks
• neglects
• disregards
• forgets
• denies
• drops
• rejects
• refuses
• scorns
• repudiates
• disdains
• declines
• parts (with)
• abandons
• renounces
• discards
• forsakes
• deserts
• abjures
• erases
• gives up
• throws out
• quits
• expunges

2

as in houses

to provide with living quarters or shelter

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• houses
• accommodates
• shelters
• lodges
• camps
• chambers
• rooms
• quarters
• bestows
• boards
• roofs
• sheds
• domiciles
• homes
• bunks
• encamps
• takes in
• secures
• stables
• bivouacs
• ensconces
• billets
• barracks
• beds (down)
• puts up
• roosts
• tents

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ejects
• evicts

3

as in protects

to be or provide a shelter for

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shelters
• protects
• houses
• defends
• refuges
• secures
• shields
• quarters
• safeguards
• covers
• places
• wards
• shadows
• screens
• shades
• domiciles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exposes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of harbors

Noun

Taken together, these actions suggest the IRS is becoming progressively less willing to offer administrative safe harbors for offshore compliance. — Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Each has its own distinct character—from postcard-perfect villages and bustling harbors to windswept dunes, freshwater ponds, and some of New England’s most spectacular beaches. — Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 27 June 2026

And of course, the park has the requisite harbors, beaches, basketball, pickleball/tennis courts, ball fields and an 18-hole golf course/driving range. — Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Other major efforts stretch along rivers and harbors in places throughout the Great Lakes. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 12 June 2026

Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse One of the mainstays harbors of the Howe ‘Bout Arden shopping center, Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, temporarily closed in May. — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026

The jetties at the entrance shared by the two harbors block the ocean’s longshore currents that carry sand along the coast, causing wide beaches north of the harbor and narrow ones south of it. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026

From the train windows, expect to spot the aquamarine waves of Ligurian Sea crashing against the stony coast, candy-colored houses huddled together on the hillsides, tiny wooden boats gliding through village harbors, and flecks of golden-sand beaches. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 June 2026

Third, scale obligations with impact, autonomy, and exposure — and include safe harbors for good-faith monitoring, incident disclosure, and rapid remediation. — Ion Stoica, Fortune, 27 May 2026

Verb

The summit harbors the prospect of unexpected personal brushups, a rare setting where 32 heads of state convene in the same place. — Chris Boccia, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Long considered one of the finest examples of colonial architecture to be found in Connecticut, the Ebenezer Grant House harbors a pleasant surprise. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026

The Temple Mount movement — a loose coalition of Israeli religious and nationalist organizations — harbors a potentially explosive mix of prophecy and politics that aims to upend some 1,300 years of Muslim control over the third-holiest site in Islam and the holiest one for Jews. — Gabe Joselow, NBC news, 26 June 2026

Like any village worth its weight in cobblestones, quirky characters, and quaint pubs, Three Pines’ titular Quebec town harbors its share of dark secrets. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026

Pritzker, who’s running for a third term as governor and harbors presidential aspirations, likes to claim substantial economic development wins during his eight years in Springfield. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026

Abby’s personal assistant, Monica, offers to be a pregnancy surrogate, but harbors dark secrets of which Abby, who has previously struggled to be a mother, is unaware. — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026

But Pedro Morelli harbors a special hope that this year’s Brazilian side – which like the 1970 team is not expected to win – watches and draws inspiration. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 27 May 2026

The Boroughs is about a retirement community in New Mexico that seems very pleasant and Utopian on the surface but, like all Utopian places, harbors a sinister secret. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026