HARBOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does harbor mean? 

• HARBOR (noun)
  The noun HARBOR has 2 senses:

1. a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo

2. a place of refuge and comfort and security

  Familiarity information: HARBOR used as a noun is rare.

• HARBOR (verb)
  The verb HARBOR has 4 senses:

1. maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)

2. secretly shelter (as of fugitives or criminals)

3. keep in one's possession; of animals

4. hold back a thought or feeling about

  Familiarity information: HARBOR used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HARBOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

harbor; harbour; haven; seaport

Hypernyms ("harbor" is a kind of...):

port (a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country)

Meronyms (parts of "harbor"):

dock; dockage; docking facility (landing in a harbor next to a pier where ships are loaded and unloaded or repaired; may have gates to let water in or out)

landing; landing place (structure providing a place where boats can land people or goods)

anchorage; anchorage ground (place for vessels to anchor)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "harbor"):

coaling station (a seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal)

port of call (any port where a ship stops except its home port)

Instance hyponyms:

Caesarea (an ancient seaport in northwestern Israel; an important Roman city in ancient Palestine)

Pearl Harbor (a harbor on Oahu to the west of Honolulu; location of a United States naval base that was attacked by the Japanese on 7 Dec 1941)

Boston Harbor (the seaport at Boston)

Holonyms ("harbor" is a part of...):

seafront (the waterfront of a seaside town)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A place of refuge and comfort and security

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

harbor; harbour

Hypernyms ("harbor" is a kind of...):

asylum; refuge; sanctuary (a shelter from danger or hardship)

Derivation:

harbor (secretly shelter (as of fugitives or criminals))

• HARBOR (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they harbor    ... he / she / it harbors   
Past simple: harbored   
Past participle: harbored   
-ing form: harboring   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

entertain; harbor; harbour; hold; nurse

Context example:

harbor a resentment

Hypernyms (to "harbor" is one way to...):

experience; feel (undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Secretly shelter (as of fugitives or criminals)

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

harbor; harbour

Hypernyms (to "harbor" is one way to...):

shelter (provide shelter for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

harbor (a place of refuge and comfort and security)

harborage ((nautical) a place of refuge (as for a ship))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Keep in one's possession; of animals

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

harbor; harbour

Hypernyms (to "harbor" is one way to...):

hold on; keep (retain possession of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Hold back a thought or feeling about

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

harbor; harbour; shield

Context example:

She is harboring a grudge against him

Hypernyms (to "harbor" is one way to...):

conceal; hide (prevent from being seen or discovered)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

Previously, the moon was thought to harbor a thick ocean sandwiched between just two layers of ice, one on top and one on bottom.

(Ganymede may harbor 'club sandwich' of oceans and ice, NASA)

The scientists discovered evidence that the specimen harbored a benign tumor made up of miniature, tooth-like structures.

(Scientists discover fossil tumor in 255 million-year-old mammal forerunner, NSF)

Jo glanced over her shoulder, and the little demon she was harboring said in her ear...

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

The star, harbored in a very distant spiral galaxy, is so far away that its light has taken 9 billion years to reach Earth.

(Hubble Uncovers the Farthest Star Ever Seen, NASA)

Europa's ocean is considered to be one of the most promising places that could potentially harbor life in the solar system.

(Possible Water Plumes on Jupiter's Moon Europa, NASA)

Dapivirine has activity against wild-type virus strains and strains harboring different NNRTI resistance-inducing mutations and may have direct virucidal activity.

(Dapivirine, NCI Thesaurus)

Encoded by human FGFR1OP Gene, ubiquitous 399-aa 43-kDa hydrophilic FGFR1 Oncogene Partner protein contains N- and C-terminal alpha helices harboring leucine-rich repeats.

(FGFR1 Oncogene Partner, NCI Thesaurus)

Erastin analogue PRLX 93936 exhibits greater lethality in cell lines harboring mutations in the GTPase protein oncogenes HRAS and KRAS or the serine-threonine protein kinase oncogene BRAF than in non-tumorigenic cell lines.

(Erastin Analogue PRLX 93936, NCI Thesaurus)

A phosphorothioate oligonucleotide harboring nucleotide sequences complementary to tumor suppressor p53 mRNA.

(EL625, NCI Thesaurus)

The human gut harbors a complex community of microbes, collectively called microbiota.

(Gut microbes may affect cancer treatment, NIH)