What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Haven vs Harbor - What's the difference?

haven | harbor |

As nouns the difference between haven and harbor

is that haven is a harbour or anchorage protected from the sea while harbor is a sheltered expanse of water, adjacent to land, in which ships may dock or anchor, especially for loading and unloading.

As verbs the difference between haven and harbor

is that haven is to put into, or provide with a haven while harbor is to provide a harbor or safe place for.

haven

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A harbour or anchorage protected from the sea.
  • * Shakespeare
    • what shipping and what lading's in our haven
  • * Tennyson
    • their haven under the hill
  • (by extension) A place of safety; a refuge or sanctuary.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=December 21 , author=Helen Pidd , title=Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis , work=the Guardian citation , page= , passage=Since its conception, the European Union has been a haven for those seeking refuge from war, persecution and poverty in other parts of the world.}}

    Synonyms

    * refuge * sanctuary * zoar

    Derived terms

    * tax haven

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To put into, or provide with a haven.

    • Anagrams

    * ----

    harbor

    English

    Alternative forms

    * harbour (Commonwealth) * herberwe (obsolete) * herborough (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A sheltered expanse of water, adjacent to land, in which ships may dock or anchor, especially for loading and unloading.
    • A harbor''', even if it is a little '''harbor , is a good thing, since adventurers come into it as well as go out, and the life in it grows strong, because it takes something from the world, and has something to give in return -
  • Any place of shelter.
    • The neighborhood is a well-known harbor for petty thieves.

    Derived terms

    * harborage * harbormaster * harbor seal * safe harbor

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To provide a harbor or safe place for.
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Katie L. Burke
    • , title= In the News , volume=101, issue=3, page=193, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.}}
  • To take refuge or shelter in a protected expanse of water.
  • To hold or persistently entertain in one's thoughts or mind.

    • See also

    * haven * dock

    References

    * * * * * Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary , 1987-1996.