harboring
- 1Present participle and gerund of harbor.
The village was accused of harboring fugitives during the war.
He spent years harboring resentment toward his former business partner.
Note
One -ing form doing two jobs: a participle in progressive phrases (the town was harboring fugitives) and a gerund standing as a noun (harboring a grudge helps no one). It usually takes an object, either concrete or abstract: a stowaway, a doubt, a grievance held persistently. Without an object it belongs to ships taking shelter, as in vessels harboring in the bay. The spelling is the American one.
Harboring old grudges only made the feud last longer.
During the storm, the fishing fleet was harboring in the lee of the island.
harboring is a form of harbor
harbor, verb: To hold or persistently keep a feeling, thought, or suspicion in one's mind. Full entry
- Spelling
- harbor → harboring: add -ing
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