1
as in had
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in housed
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 sheltered
to be or provide a shelter for
the little cabin is harbored from the wind by a thick growth of pines
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of harbored
But Larry has long harbored more globe-spanning ambitions.
—
Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Robin harbored a huge crush on Vickie, a fellow member of the Hawkins High School band, throughout season 4 of Stranger Things.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Some evaluators harbored concerns over how Imai’s fastball would fare in the majors.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Jordan Wilmore, 24, of Kemah, Texas, has long harbored a dream to hold the badge, according to CBS affiliate KHOU-TV in Houston.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Until recently, many Americans who harbored racist and other troubling sentiments hid themselves beneath a proverbial rock.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The slough that harbored little bass in 2022 lay a few miles from the dam behind a cobbled sandbar sheltering it from the flow for a few hundred yards.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Having harbored secret crushes on each other at the time, the two might get a second chance at romance as they are reunited years later when Tyler crosses paths with Bode.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2025
These conditions have exacerbated many of the financial anxieties harbored by Americans, who are battling both elevated inflation and record-high debts, with surveys revealing plummeting confidence about both their present and future economic prospects.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harbored
Verb
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Ewing never married or had children, but is survived by other family members, per Extra.—
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The news and editorial staffs of the Orange County Register had no role in this post’s preparation.—
Verb
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County of Los Angeles Animal Care and Control Officers said that all of the ducks were safely transferred to care centers, where they will be housed and cared for.—
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The Au Vieux Campeur collection will be housed here, emphasizing Gerbi’s intention to establish it as a stand-alone brand.—
Verb
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Bieber will watch Smith deliver that message from backstage, private and sheltered from view.—
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As reports flooded in, hundreds of students sheltered in place across campus buildings, including Solomon Hall, where police said that roughly 150 to 300 people were barricaded inside.—
Verb
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The rapper, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since he was arrested in September 2024.—
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That means every state budget could be held hostage until the whims of a small fraction of legislators is satisfied.—
Verb
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This shows a circular, counter-clockwise navigation of the sea that accommodated winds and currents.—
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Children are also happily accommodated.—
Verb
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Certain messages or actions, like inciting immediate violence or making true threats, aren’t protected speech.—
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It’s made from flexible pebbled leather that molds against your body comfortably and features four metal feet on the bottom to keep the bag protected and clean.—
Verb
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America’s public health report card is in, and New Hampshire has retained its crown as the country’s healthiest state.—
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Dubai retained its clear lead among Gulf real estate markets last year, with buyers spending 541 billion dirhams ($147 billion) on residential property in the emirate in 2025, some 27% more than the year before.—
Verb
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And after miraculously surviving the attack that left her with facial paralysis and a bullet forever lodged in her brain, Buttafuoco was immediately, unwillingly thrust into the spotlight.—
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Limon’s case comes as city officials paid last month $700,000 to settle lawsuits brought by two former police officers who also claimed their colleagues lodged racist remarks.—
Cite this Entry
“Harbored.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harbored. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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