anchor
Americannoun
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any of various devices dropped by a chain, cable, or rope to the bottom of a body of water for preventing or restricting the motion of a vessel or other floating object, typically having broad, hooklike arms that bury themselves in the bottom to provide a firm hold.
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any similar device for holding fast or checking motion.
an anchor of stones.
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any device for securing a suspension or cantilever bridge at either end.
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any of various devices, as a metal tie, for binding one part of a structure to another.
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a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay.
Hope was his only anchor.
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Radio and Television. Also a person who is the main broadcaster on a program of news, sports, etc., and who usually also serves as coordinator of all participating broadcasters during the program; anchorman or anchorwoman; anchorperson.
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Television. a program that attracts many viewers who are likely to stay tuned to the network for the programs that follow.
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Also called anchor store. a well-known store, especially a department store, that attracts customers to the shopping center in which it is located.
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Slang. automotive brakes.
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Military. a key position in defense lines.
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Sports. Also
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the person on a team, especially a relay team, who competes last.
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the person farthest to the rear on a tug-of-war team.
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verb (used with object)
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to hold fast by an anchor.
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to fix or fasten; affix firmly.
The button was anchored to the cloth with heavy thread.
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to act or serve as an anchor for.
He anchored the evening news.
verb (used without object)
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to drop anchor; lie or ride at anchor.
The ship anchored at dawn.
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to keep hold or be firmly fixed.
The insect anchored fast to its prey.
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Sports, Radio and Television. to act or serve as an anchor.
idioms
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drop anchor, to anchor a vessel.
They dropped anchor in a bay to escape the storm.
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drag anchor, (of a vessel) to move with a current or wind because an anchor has failed to hold.
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weigh anchor, to raise the anchor.
We will weigh anchor at dawn.
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at anchor, held in place by an anchor.
The luxury liner is at anchor in the harbor.
noun
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any of several devices, usually of steel, attached to a vessel by a cable and dropped overboard so as to grip the bottom and restrict the vessel's movement
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an object used to hold something else firmly in place
the rock provided an anchor for the rope
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a source of stability or security
religion was his anchor
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a metal cramp, bolt, or similar fitting, esp one used to make a connection to masonry
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( as modifier )
anchor bolt
anchor plate
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the rear person in a tug-of-war team
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short for anchorman anchorwoman
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(of a vessel) anchored
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to anchor a vessel
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See drag
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to be anchored
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to raise a vessel's anchor or (of a vessel) to have its anchor raised in preparation for departure
verb
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to use an anchor to hold (a vessel) in one place
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to fasten or be fastened securely; fix or become fixed firmly
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(tr) radio television to act as an anchorman on
Other Word Forms
- anchorable adjective
- anchorless adjective
- anchorlike adjective
- reanchor verb
- unanchored adjective
- well-anchored adjective
Etymology
Origin of anchor
First recorded before 900; Middle English anker, ancre, Old English ancor, ancer, ancra (compare Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German anker ), from Latin anc(h)ora, from Greek ánkȳra
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The building with a red-brick facade and bright green letters anchors a small shopping center in the suburban area.
This suggested that it was supported along its length rather than anchored only at its ends.
From Science Daily
“Many are still anchored to prices of the past. They have their heart set on the price they saw their neighbor’s house sell for when the market was at its peak four years ago.”
From MarketWatch
The stickiness that once anchored people and capital to great cities is gone.
The country’s export network is anchored by Kharg Island, the main terminal through which most Iranian crude is loaded onto tankers.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
