—harbour UK (US harbor) /ˈhɑː.bər/ aep /ˈhɑːr.bɚ/
noun [C or U]
► B1 an area of water next to the coast, often protected from the sea by a thick wall, where ships and boats can shelter: » Our hotel room overlooked a pretty little fishing harbour.→ COMPARE DOCK(Cf. ↑dock) noun (FOR SHIPS)Thesaurus+: ↑Ports and docks• • •
Extra Examples:» He has a house down by the harbour.» The Central harbour area will be closed to all marine traffic from 3.45 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.» The harbour walls need urgent reinforcement.» It was a pretty town with a picturesque harbour and well-preserved buildings.» In the harbour, the boats bobbed gently up and down on the water.verb [T] (CONTAIN) ↑Verb Endings for harbour
► F0 to contain the bacteria, etc. that can cause a disease to spread: » Bathroom door handles can harbour germs.verb [T] (HAVE IN MIND) ↑Verb Endings for harbour
► F0 to think about or feel something, usually over a long period: » He's been harbouring a grudge against her ever since his promotion was refused.» There are those who harbour suspicions about his motives.» Powell remains non-committal about any political ambitions he may harbour.Thesaurus+: ↑Thinking and contemplatingverb [T] (HIDE) ↑Verb Endings for harbour
► F0 to protect someone or something bad, especially by hiding them when the police are looking for them: » to harbour a criminalThesaurus+: ↑Hiding and disguisingThesaurus+: ↑Defending and protecting , ↑Backing, supporting and defending , ↑Preserving and saving