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

The program uses a multi-gear fish-surveillance strategy to detect certain non-native species in the harbors, rivers, and embayments of the Great Lakes. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Nov. 2026

It’s being used to help balance power grids, manage ships and harbors, and write hospital patient records. — Shahnaz Bashir, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026

Hedge-fund-rich Sang-woo has an air of cool privilege, while the gloomy, taciturn Ho-seok harbors unprocessed trauma about what happened during the strike, the details of which are judiciously doled out to us in flashbacks. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

From November 21, 2027 through March 20, 2028, Amangati will embark on 19 cruises, tracing the storied harbors and pristine archipelagos of the Antilles and heading to new waters in the Dominican Republic, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the Grenadines. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026

Airports, harbors and some health facilities in the territories were closed. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

For all other beaches and harbors, shallow with minor to moderate sea- water flooding will likely impact beaches and walkways, especially with the Sunday morning high tide which could cause local damage to most vulnerable locations such as Venice. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Foreign governments are racing to gain access to African harbors. — Jared Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026

The governor’s office said the state was securing its harbors, deploying emergency personnel to strategic locations and monitoring dams for any possible breaches or overflows. — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026

Verb

But doing so means obstructing the inner part of the corona, which harbors the most important processes that underpin the puzzling phenomena of the sun’s upper atmosphere. — IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026

At school, Brian harbors an intense, unrequited crush on his kind and pretty English teacher (Natalie Morales). — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026

Some studies show that earwax kills bacteria, but other studies find that earwax harbors bacteria. — David Hu, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026

Applications Agriculture Similar to other legumes, butterfly pea harbors nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its root nodules, enabling it to enrich the soil with nitrogen. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026

The family harbors dark secrets, and the girls themselves turn to self-destructive behaviors. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

The Moon’s south pole harbors substantial quantities of water ice concentrated on the floors of craters away from the reach of sublimating rays of sunlight. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026

In other ways, SETT, which is part of Spain’s Ministry for Digital Transformation, also harbors a revolution. — John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026

However, the group still harbors legal and environmental concerns about sections of the alternative route that run through the Town of Fredonia. — Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 16 Sep. 2026