Meaning & use

harboring

verb·Advanced

Last updated

Keeping a thought or feeling in one's mind secretly, or giving shelter or refuge to a person or thing.

See it in a sentence

She admitted to harboring doubts about the plan from the very start.

The family was accused of harboring a fugitive in their basement.

A note on using this word

Harboring can apply equally to hidden emotions ("harboring resentment") and to physically sheltering people, illustrating how the maritime sense of a safe harbor extended metaphorically.

Words with a similar meaning

shelteringnursing

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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