DictionaryAI

haven

HAY-vuhn/ˈheɪvən/

Pluralhavens

Verbhavens, havening, havened

4 meanings of haven

Practice

  1. 1
    safe placenouncountable
    A place of safety or refuge, where people or animals are protected from danger or can find peace and calm.

    The island became a haven for seabirds driven off the mainland by development.

    For kids from troubled homes, the after-school center is a haven.

    UsageUsually a haven for people or animals, or a haven from danger; safe haven is a common phrase.

    Similarrefuge, sanctuary, shelter, retreat

  2. 2
    portnoundatedcountable
    A harbor or anchorage sheltered from the open sea.

    The fishing fleet ran for the haven when the gale came up.

    And the stately ships go on / To their haven under the hill;
    1842, Alfred Tennyson, “"Break, break, break,"”

    Similarharbor, anchorage, port

    Note

    Old English hæfen already meant a harbor or port, and this sheltered water is the picture behind the safe-place meaning. Said of real ships, the word lives on mainly in place names such as Milford Haven and in older poetry, as when Tennyson's “stately ships go on / To their haven under the hill” in 1842; everyday prose says harbor.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

    • Old English hæfen meant a harbor or port. en.wiktionary.org
    • The harbor and safe-place meanings belong to the same word and etymology; the sheltered-water image is a reasonable semantic inference. en.wiktionary.org
    • Milford Haven contains haven in its port or harbor sense. en.wikipedia.org
    • Tennyson wrote the quoted words in “Break, Break, Break.” archive.org
    • The poem was first published in 1842. en.wikipedia.org
  3. 3
    bring to safetyverbraretransitive
    To shelter someone or something, or give them a safe place to stay.

    Similarshelter, harbor

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    nouncountable
    A place that strongly appeals to, or suits, a certain group or activity because it offers an abundance of what they are looking for.

    With dozens of food trucks and night markets, the neighborhood has become a haven for adventurous eaters.

    The island's quiet coves are havens for snorkelers, full of reef fish and sea turtles.

    UsageFollowed by for and the group it draws: a haven for snorkelers, adventurous eaters.

    Similarparadise, mecca, magnet

    Note

    Here the shelter has turned into plenty. Where the "safe place" meaning promises protection, this one promises abundance: a neighborhood is a haven for adventurous eaters because the food trucks are there, not because anyone is hiding. It comes with for and the group it draws (a haven for snorkelers, for birdwatchers), and the old harbor image still lingers faintly: a place people make for and settle into.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • Haven has an older literal meaning of a sheltered harbor or anchorage. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

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Origin

From Old English hæfen ('harbor, port'), either inherited or taken from Old Norse hǫfn, from a Germanic word shared with Dutch haven and German Hafen. Its deeper origin is uncertain, perhaps a Germanic word for 'sea'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts