ANCHORS Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

anchors 1 of 2

noun

plural of anchor

as in newscasters

one who reads and introduces news reports on a news program the news anchor coordinated the reports of the correspondents from around the state

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in backbones

something or someone to which one looks for support my best friend has been my anchor throughout this crisis

Synonyms & Similar Words

anchors

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of anchor

as in secures

to put securely in place or in a desired position used ropes and sandbags to anchor the hot-air balloon to the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in lands

to stop at or near a place along the shore we'll anchor at Praia, Cape Verde

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of anchors

Noun

Rising in hexagonal or octagonal forms amidst low-rise dwellings, these pagodas stand as emotional anchors of hometown memory. — Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026 Along with the Vancouver Art Gallery (a former court house) and the nearby Hotel Georgia, the Hotel Vancouver is one of the three anchors that determined how downtown Vancouver was built, and how the neighborhood behaves today. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 With just four weeks until the midterm elections, MS NOW anchors are taking their shows to key battleground states of Maine, Ohio, Georgia, Texas and Michigan. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026 No structural reforms were made, no editors were dismissed, nor were any anchors held accountable. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 The district this summer closed or consolidated nine public schools — many of them anchors in underserved communities — and has cut its operating budget. — Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026 Native Americans, in losing their land, lost the anchors of their worlds. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 They are proposed as generative anchors that shape the lawful ways a quantum object can appear, behave and relate. — Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Berman is one of a growing number of traditional news anchors being assigned to new interactive formats that give viewers and subscribers more say over what gets discussed. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

Verb

And Lee Chang-Dong’s Possible Love anchors a bracing social critique with two electrically human lead performances. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Skarsgård’s performance completely anchors the gradual descent from decorum to disorder. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 The video’s nod also anchors the returning Best Dance category, which was given out regularly for decades starting in 1989, but hasn’t been awarded since 2019. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026 Faulkner, with Fox News since 2005, anchors The Faulkner Focus and co-hosts Outnumbered. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026 Art Basel Hong Kong, launched in 2013, grows with each return and anchors satellite events such as Art Central and the Edible Art Fair. — Catherine Hong, Architectural Digest, 24 Sep. 2026 Out front, a four-car garage anchors a motor court with parking for up to 20 vehicles. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2026 Statement lighting is another go-to move that anchors a room around personality rather than a trend catalog, according to Real Simple. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2026 Arca — a nonbinary trans woman who makes uncategorizable music and embodies unquestionable glamour — anchors her divahood in a mutation of body, soul and sound. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for anchors

Noun

Members of the media were given a walkthrough of Nightmares early Thursday morning, leading to plenty of shrieks from area newscasters.

— Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Hartman, a human resource specialist, watched in disbelief as newscasters ran footage of the destruction in New York and nearby Arlington, Virginia.

— USA TODAY staff, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of newscasters

Noun

The structural backbones of the phalanges are 3D-printed from PLA, while soft silicone interfaces provide friction and compliance when the fingers contact a branch.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026
More specifically, insects are invertebrates (animals without backbones) and are part of the arthropod phylum, which also includes spiders, crabs, and centipedes.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of backbones

Verb

The home team secures the victory when Phil Mickelson knocks one in the water at the par-3 16th hole, conceding his match to Francesco Molinari right on the tee box.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
In other words, filing now secures your claim before the deadline.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of secures

Verb

This was never quite fair — the New York dynasty of the late ’90s was driven by smart drafting and patient prospect development, not pricey free agents — but the joke still lands.

— Will Leitch, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Unless the contract says otherwise, the cost of the new plant lands on the rest of us.

— Mark McNees, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of lands

Noun

After holding steady last year while commercial broadcasters such as Canal+ and TF1 scaled back, the public broadcaster will reduce its investment in film by €5 million in 2026.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
Once broadcasters enter the Pete Maher broadcast booth — named after the longtime, legendary Flames broadcaster — they’re treated to some of the best sight lines in the league for broadcasters.

— Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026

Definition of broadcasters

Verb

Unique to the mid-top is a metal hook that fastens its collar strap, replacing the plastic hook traditionally seen on the Air Force 1 Mid.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 16 Aug. 2026
My favorite detail is the red ribbon on Giovanna’s right shoulder, which fastens her sleeve to her dress and floats over the darkness.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Definition of fastens

Verb

Paul Ryzak, who docks his charter boat under the bridge, says his business has been negatively impacted by the construction.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
Once Orion docks with Blue Moon on Artemis III, two of the mission's astronauts will be able to board the lander to test out its environmental control systems, avionics and the interoperability between the two spacecraft in flight.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 20 July 2026