anchor
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
angkerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈæŋkɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
nautical
A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
nautical
An iron device so shaped as to grip the bottom and hold a vessel at her berth by the chain or rope attached. (FM 55-501).
nautical
The combined anchoring gear (anchor, rode, bill/peak and fittings such as bitts, cat, and windlass.)
figurative
That which gives stability or security.
One of the calcareous spinules of certain holothurians, as in species of Synapta.
A measure of wine or spirit equal to 10 gallons; a barrel of this capacity.
verb
To connect an object, especially a ship or a boat, to a fixed point.
To stop; to fix or rest.
To provide emotional stability for a person in distress.
To be stuck; to be unable to move away from a position.
Secure a vessel with an anchor
To cast anchor; to come to anchor.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement.
Used this way, anchor is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a nautical use: it is standard at sea and largely unfamiliar ashore.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Sailing/maritime
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- ground tackle , a specialist term, precise but narrower
- anchorman , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use anchor
- “Anchor the lamppost in concrete.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Equipment, such as anchors, cables, or windlasses, for mooring a vessel away from a pier or other fixed moorings.
The bottom of a body of water.
The person on a ship in charge of the anchor.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The chain or rope that attaches an anchor to a vessel.
A light in the rigging of a ship that is riding at anchor.
A toroidal shape.
The chain or rope that attaches an anchor to a vessel.
Secure a vessel with an anchor.
Secure a vessel with an anchor.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Place for vessels to anchor.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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