What does "shelter" mean?
Shelter: One who protects; a guardian; a defender. Thou [God] hast been a shelter for me. Ps. lxi.
Additional senses
- 2.3. The state of being covered and protected; protection; security. Who into shelter takes their tender bloom. Young. Shelter tent,a small tent made of pieces of cotton duck arranged to button together. In field service the soldiers carry the pieces.
- 3.To be a shelter for; to provide with a shelter; to cover from injury or annoyance; to shield; to protect. Those ruins sheltered once his sacred head. Dryden. You have no convents . . . in which such persons may be received and sheltered. Southey.
- 4.To screen or cover from notice; to disguise. In vain I strove to cheek my growing flame, Or shelter passion under friendship's name. Prior.
- 5.To betake to cover, or to a safe place; -- used reflexively. They sheltered themselves under a rock. Abp. Abbot.
- 6.To take shelter. There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat, Shelters in cool. Milton.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00