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
Relevance
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of harbors
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
Cities like New York, Boston, and San Francisco flourished because of their harbors.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
The great infrastructure projects of the last century included airports, transnational highways, and deep water harbors that accommodated cargo containers.
—Bipul Sinha, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Hitchcock refers to a dark secret that Perkins harbors.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
But not all super polluters are not all power plants or oil refineries — for example, in Boston as well as Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, domestic shipping in and out of harbors qualifies as a super polluter.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Friesen, who studies the coevolution of plants and rhizobia, writes that just one gram of plant tissue harbors between 10 million and 10 billion endophytic bacteria alone.
—Anna Marija Helt, JSTOR Daily, 17 Sep. 2025
Then think of the pastel-colored houses that cling to rugged cliffs and narrow, winding alleyways—carruggi—that descend steeply to turquoise harbors.
—Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The Sebastian Vizcaino expedition in 1602 was tasked with finding safe harbors in Alta California for Spanish ships returning from the Philippines.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Because today’s world harbors high stakes for carrying on the tradition of beauty politics and its violence, Black women are beginning to unpack how our bodies and aesthetic tropes become battlegrounds in the American political sphere.
—Akilah Sailers, Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
Huang wants to deepen his ties with Asia’s fourth-largest economy, which is pivotal to the global supply of memory chips and harbors ambitions to become a major AI computing center, according to people familiar with the matter.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
Neither side harbors all-encompassing contempt for the other like both do for Minnesota.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hanke harbors more hands-on-the-levers, on-site experience in the field than any other expert by far, having advised countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia on strategies linking their currencies to the dollar.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Lincoln plays a middle-aged stay-at-home-dad, whose anxieties bring him in contact with a new neighbor who harbors horrifying secrets.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
The Brain Aneurysm Foundation notes that one in fifty people harbors an aneurysm, which can produce migraine-like symptoms.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Benicio del Toro’s Sensei oversees a sprawling apartment building that harbors refugees.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
They were designed to obliterate key mountain passes, bridges, or harbors in the event of a Soviet invasion.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025
Cities like New York, Boston, and San Francisco flourished because of their harbors.
—Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
The great infrastructure projects of the last century included airports, transnational highways, and deep water harbors that accommodated cargo containers.
—Bipul Sinha, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Hitchcock refers to a dark secret that Perkins harbors.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
But not all super polluters are not all power plants or oil refineries — for example, in Boston as well as Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, domestic shipping in and out of harbors qualifies as a super polluter.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Friesen, who studies the coevolution of plants and rhizobia, writes that just one gram of plant tissue harbors between 10 million and 10 billion endophytic bacteria alone.
—Anna Marija Helt, JSTOR Daily, 17 Sep. 2025
Then think of the pastel-colored houses that cling to rugged cliffs and narrow, winding alleyways—carruggi—that descend steeply to turquoise harbors.
—Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The Sebastian Vizcaino expedition in 1602 was tasked with finding safe harbors in Alta California for Spanish ships returning from the Philippines.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
The character was reimagined in the 2025 adaptation as the bride-to-be of Frankenstein's younger brother (for whom the scientist secretly harbors feelings).
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Because today’s world harbors high stakes for carrying on the tradition of beauty politics and its violence, Black women are beginning to unpack how our bodies and aesthetic tropes become battlegrounds in the American political sphere.
—Akilah Sailers, Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
Huang wants to deepen his ties with Asia’s fourth-largest economy, which is pivotal to the global supply of memory chips and harbors ambitions to become a major AI computing center, according to people familiar with the matter.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025
Neither side harbors all-encompassing contempt for the other like both do for Minnesota.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hanke harbors more hands-on-the-levers, on-site experience in the field than any other expert by far, having advised countries in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Asia on strategies linking their currencies to the dollar.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Lincoln plays a middle-aged stay-at-home-dad, whose anxieties bring him in contact with a new neighbor who harbors horrifying secrets.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025
The Brain Aneurysm Foundation notes that one in fifty people harbors an aneurysm, which can produce migraine-like symptoms.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Benicio del Toro’s Sensei oversees a sprawling apartment building that harbors refugees.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbors
Noun
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Like many ports, Belém also grew into an important hub for cultural exchange.—
Michael Snyder,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
-
These sites are often located near highways, ports and other key infrastructure, but are now becoming essential staging grounds for data center construction.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Other big stories ➤ These are the pets up for adoption in metro Phoenix shelters this week.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The website is also how people get information, including where to find shelters, at a time when the temperature is dropping.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Technology is an ever-present disruptor that has a way of commoditizing what once felt unique, driving a kind of Moore’s law-like acceleration into every corner of our daily workflows.—
Phil Gilbert,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
-
According to the explanation on the museum’s website, the use of poppies has its origins in a poem that was penned by a Canadian physician who had served as a field surgeon in Belgium during the Great War.—
Emily Curiel,
Kansas City Star,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Inside 26 Federal Plaza, the building that houses New York City’s immigration courts, ICE officers and Border Patrol agents have been patrolling the halls and positioning themselves outside courtrooms to detain migrants moments after their hearings.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The Museu Afro Brasil houses some 6,000 artifacts telling this layered story through incredible visuals.—
Jade Moyano,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
These comments are important because our government must place premium in creating a society that respects human lives, secures its borders and protects its citizens.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Spent foliage over the winter also protects the roots against cold.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
At 8,614 feet, the Mackinac Bridge is still the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Several small craft broken away from moorings, especially in unprotected anchorages.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Hugging Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, Limón province is rich with natural wonders, from its white-sand beaches to its multiple wildlife refuges and volcanic landscapes.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Lodging options vary from winter campsites and rustic cottages, to cozy micro-refuges and larger chalets.—
Outside,
Outside,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
One cheerfully holds a toothbrush, her hair wrapped in a matching second towel (for me, a universal symbol of maturity and womanhood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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Outside of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North, who both stand alone as the only squads in their division with winning records, every other divisional leader holds only a slim edge over rivals in hot pursuit.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harbors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbors. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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