haven
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hayvuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈheɪvən
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
A shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
“The old house was a haven for lost pets.”
A peaceful or tranquil place.
A safe place.
A ghost town in Grant County, Washington.
A place in the United States
verb
To put into, or provide with a haven.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A shelter serving as a place of safety or sanctuary
Used this way, haven is a common word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The old house was a haven for lost pets.”
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “haven for …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: haven for …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use haven
- “The small cabin in the woods felt like a peaceful haven.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A country or independent region where taxes are low.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.