har·bor / ˈhärbər/ (Brit. har·bour) • n. a place on the coast where vessels may find shelter, esp. one protected from rough water by piers, jetties, and other artificial structures: fishing in the harbor the westerly wind kept us in harbor until the following afternoon. ∎ fig. a place of refuge: the offered harbor of his arms.• v. [tr.] 1. keep (a thought or feeling, typically a negative one) in one's mind, esp. secretly: she started to harbor doubts about the wisdom of their journey.2. give a home or shelter to: woodlands that once harbored a colony of red deer. ∎  shelter or hide (a criminal or wanted person): he was suspected of harboring an escaped prisoner. ∎  carry the germs of (a disease).3. [intr.] archaic (of a ship or its crew) moor in a harbor: he might have harbored in San Francisco.DERIVATIVES: har·bor·er n.har·bor·less adj.

HARBOR

As a noun, a haven, or a space of deep water so sheltered by the adjacent land and surroundings as to afford a safe anchorage for ships.

As a verb, to afford lodging to, to shelter, or to give a refuge to. To clandestinely shelter, succor, and protect improperly admittedaliens. It may be aptly used to describe the furnishing of shelter, lodging, or food clandestinely or with concealment, and under certain circumstances may be equally applicable to those acts divested of any accompanying secrecy. Harboring a criminal is a crime under both federal and state statutes and a person who harbors a criminal is anaccessoryafter the fact.