anchor

ANG-kur/ˈæŋ.kɚ/UKANG-kuh/ˈæŋ.kə/

29 meanings of anchor

1
nouncountable
A heavy metal hook dropped into the water to hold a boat in one place.
Like a heavy hook that grabs the ground so a boat can't float away.
The sailors dropped the anchor just before the storm hit.
A small fishing boat usually carries just one anchor.
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2
verbtransitive
To fix something firmly in place so it cannot move.
Like tying a balloon to a chair so it stays put.
Workers anchor the tent to the ground with metal pegs.
We anchored the heavy shelf to the wall for safety.
Similarmoor, secure, tether, fasten, fix
Oppositerelease, unfasten
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3
nounfigurativelycountable
A person or thing that makes you feel safe and steady.
Like a heavy weight that keeps you steady when everything around you is moving.
Her grandmother was the anchor of the whole family.
A steady job can be an anchor during hard times.
Similarmainstay, rock, pillar, support
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4
nouncountable
The main person who presents a TV or radio news show.
Like the host who keeps the whole news show together.
The evening news anchor introduced the top story.
She works as an anchor for a local news station.
Similarnewscaster, newsreader, presenter, host
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5
verbtransitive
To present and lead a news show on TV or radio.
Like being the host who keeps a whole show running.
She will anchor the morning news next week.
He used to anchor a popular sports program.
Similarhost, present, front
6
verbintransitive
To drop the anchor so a boat stops and stays in one place.
Like a car pulling over and parking on the side of the road.
The boat will anchor near the small island tonight.
We decided to anchor close to the harbor for the night.
Similarmoor
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7
nouncountable
A big store that brings lots of shoppers into an area.
Like a popular ride that brings everyone to the fair, so other stalls get visitors too.
The new mall needed a big anchor to attract families.
Without a strong anchor, many of the smaller shops closed.
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8
nouncountable
The last runner on a relay team, who finishes the race.
Like the last player in a game whose job is to finish strong.
She runs as the anchor for her school's relay team.
The fastest girl on the team became the anchor.
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9
nouncountable
A marked spot in a page that a link can jump straight to.
Like a bookmark that a link can flip you straight to.
Click the link to jump to the anchor near the bottom of the page.
Each heading has an anchor so readers can link to it.
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10
nouncountable
A strong fixed point at the top of a climb that a climber can clip onto.
Like a strong hook on the wall that you tie your safety rope to.
She clipped her rope into the anchor at the top of the cliff.
Always check the anchor before you trust your weight to it.
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11
nouncountable
Any device that holds something firmly in place, like a ship's anchor does.
Like a ship's anchor, but used to hold other big things steady instead of a boat.
The bridge cable is held tight by a heavy anchor at each end.
Engineers set an anchor into the rock to brace the dam.
12
nouncountable
A metal piece that holds two parts of a building tightly together.
Like a metal staple holding two parts of a wall together.
The old wall was held in place by a rusted iron anchor.
Builders fit an anchor to keep the two walls from pulling apart.
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13
nounUScountable
A fastener that screws into a wall to hold up something heavy.
Like a small plug that grips the wall so a screw can hold tight.
He pushed an anchor into the drywall before hanging the shelf.
Use a metal anchor so the screw won't pull out of the wall.
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14
verbtransitive
To stop something and hold it firmly in one place.
Like planting your feet so a strong push can't move you.
Anchor your feet firmly before you lift the heavy box.
He anchored the tarp so the wind couldn't lift it.
Similarsecure, brace, hold, fix, steady
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15
verbtransitive
To help someone feel calm and steady when they are upset.
Like a steady hand that keeps you calm when you feel lost.
Her calm voice anchored the frightened child.
Good friends can anchor you through hard times.
Similarsupport, sustain, steady, ground, stabilize
16
verbintransitive
To stay fixed in one spot and be unable to move away.
Like your feet being glued to the floor so you cannot walk away.
Fear can make your legs anchor in place when danger is near.
She felt her feet anchoring to the spot as the crowd pushed past.
Similarfreeze, stick
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17
nouncountable
A defending player whose job is to stop the other team's best attacker.
Like one player who follows the other team's best player everywhere to stop them.
The team's anchor shut down their best scorer all game.
Coaches often pick a strong anchor to mark the other side's top player.
Similardefender
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18
nounslangcountable
The brake a driver uses to slow down or stop a vehicle.
Like an anchor that stops a boat: but this one stops a car.
She stamped on the anchor to stop in time.
The truck's anchors screeched as it slowed for the bend.
Similarbrake
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19
nouncountable
In cricket, a batter who stays in to bat for a long time.
Like a player who stays safe in place while teammates take risks.
Their anchor stayed in for hours and kept the score growing.
A good anchor protects the team when the other batters get out quickly.
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20
nouncountable
A picture of a ship's anchor used as a design on a coat of arms.
Like a logo on a flag, but here it's an anchor shape on a family's shield.
The shield shows a gold anchor on a red background.
A small anchor sits at the center of the town's coat of arms.
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21
nouncountable
In archery, the spot on the face that the drawing hand touches when the bow is pulled back fully.
Like always putting your hand in the same spot so every shot feels the same.
He pulled the string back until his hand reached his anchor.
A steady anchor helps an archer shoot the same way every time.
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22
nouncountable
In coding, a line of code used as a marker showing where to paste new code.
Like a sticky note in a book that shows where to add new pages.
She left an anchor in the file to mark where the new code should go.
Find the anchor and paste the new lines right after it.
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23
nouncountable
All the gear that holds a ship in place, including the hook, its rope or chain and the parts that work them.
The crew checked the whole anchor before setting out to sea.
Fixing the anchor took two days, since the chain and the motor that pulls it in were both broken.
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24
nouncountable
A carved decoration shaped a bit like an anchor or arrowhead, used on some molding.
Like a small shape repeated again and again along an edge, here carved in stone.
Each band of the molding alternates an egg shape with a tiny anchor.
The carver shaped a row of anchors along the stone trim.
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25
nouncountable
In fortune-telling, the thirty-fifth card in a Lenormand deck.
Like a card that means things will stay steady, the way an anchor holds a boat.
The reader drew the anchor and spoke of safety and hope.
When the anchor appears, many readers see it as a sign of steady work.
26
nouncountable
A tiny anchor-shaped support spike found in some sponges.
Like tiny hooks built into the body to hold things together.
Under the microscope, a tiny anchor held the sponge's skin in place.
These sponges grow rows of small anchors just under the surface.
27
nouncountable
A tiny anchor-shaped chalky spine found in some sea cucumbers.
Like little hooks in the skin that grab the ground so the animal can move.
A tiny anchor in the skin helps the sea cucumber grip the seabed.
Some sea cucumbers carry thousands of these chalky anchors.
28
nounobsolete
A religious hermit who lives alone, shut away from the world for prayer.
Like someone who lives all alone in one room and never goes out.
The old anchor prayed alone in a small cell beside the church.
Villagers brought bread to the anchor who lived walled inside the chapel.
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29
nounobsolete
Alternative form of anker. This old spelling for a measure of wine or spirits is no longer used.
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Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1, 3–4, 7–13, 17–27

It comes from Latin ancora, related to the Greek word ánkura. The modern spelling with 'ch' was added in the 1500s.

Meanings 2, 5–6, 14–16

From Middle English anchoren, either from the noun or perhaps from a Medieval Latin verb ancorare, based on the same Latin word ancora.

Meaning 28

From Old English ancra, from Latin anachoreta (meaning a hermit), which was greatly shortened, perhaps through an Old Irish form.