harbor of refuge
- noun
- /ˈhɑːrbər əv ˈrɛfjuːdʒ/
- US
- For many, the small chapel is a harbor of refuge in times of personal hardship.
Examples
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During the storm, the town became a harbor of refuge for stranded travelers.
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The port was designed as a harbor of refuge for ships caught in sudden bad weather.
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The small village served as a harbor of refuge during the storm.
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Many animals find a harbor of refuge in the national park.
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During the storm, the town became a harbor of refuge for stranded travelers.
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For many, the small chapel is a harbor of refuge in times of personal hardship.
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The port was designed as a harbor of refuge for ships caught in sudden bad weather.
Synonyms
299
1.0
A place that protects people from danger or bad weather
177
3.3
A safe place or person that protects you from harm
142
4.1
A safe place where people go to escape danger
126
5.7
A safe place where people go to escape danger or harm
124
3.9
A safe place where people or animals are protected from danger
14
4.0
A safe place or situation where a person feels protected
10
3.9
A place or situation that protects people from danger
1
8.8
A protected place where people hide to be safe from attack
1
9.5
A place where ships stay safely during bad weather
A small sheltered bay on the coast where boats can stay safely
Antonyms
How Safe
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both 'harbor' and 'refuge' independently denote a place of shelter or protection, and the prepositional linking 'of' transparently composes them into a place offering safety. This straightforward, redundant composition follows common lexical patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Harbor of refuge comes from the picture of a harbor, a quiet bay where ships shelter from storms, and refuge, an old word for a safe place. So it means a place that gives 'safety' or 'shelter' when people are in trouble.