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any of various devices dropped by a chain, cable, or rope to the bottom of a body of water for preventing or restricting the motion of a vessel or other floating object, typically having broad, hooklike arms that bury themselves in the bottom to provide a firm hold.
any similar device for holding fast or checking motion:
an anchor of stones.
any device for securing a suspension or cantilever bridge at either end.
any of various devices, as a metal tie, for binding one part of a structure to another.
a person or thing that can be relied on for support, stability, or security; mainstay:
hope was his only anchor.
radio and television. a person who is the main broadcaster on a program of news, sports, etc., and who usually also serves as coordinator of all partic-p-ting broadcasters during the program; anchorman or anchorwoman; anchorperson.
television. a program that attracts many viewers who are likely to stay tuned to the network for the programs that follow.
a well-known store, especially a department store, that attracts customers to the shopping center in which it is located.
slang. automotive brakes.
military. a key position in defense lines.
also, anchorman. sports.

the person on a team, especially a relay team, who competes last.
the person farthest to the rear on a tug-of-war team.

to hold fast by an anchor.
to fix or fasten; affix firmly:
the b-tton was anch-r-d to the cloth with heavy thread.
to act or serve as an anchor for:
he anch-r-d the evening news.
to drop anchor; lie or ride at anchor:
the ship anch-r-d at dawn.
to keep hold or be firmly fixed:
the insect anch-r-d fast to its prey.
sports, radio and television. to act or serve as an anchor.
at anchor, held in place by an anchor:
the luxury liner is at anchor in the harbor.
drag anchor, (of a vessel) to move with a current or wind because an anchor has failed to hold.
drop anchor, to anchor a vessel:
they dropped anchor in a bay to escape the storm.
weigh anchor, to raise the anchor:
we will weigh anchor at dawn.
contemporary examples

what do you want to bet that all three networks dispatch their anchors to south bend on may 17, making it a four-ring circus.
showdown at notre dame christopher buckley april 9, 2009

deconstructing “fox glam”: ever wonder why female fox anchors wear so much makeup?
diane von furstenberg bests wintour on forbes list; madonna’s swastika kerfuffle the daily beast august 22, 2012

but the networks keep giving trump a platform to make these unfounded charges, with varying degrees of pushback from the anchors.
glenn beck’s toxic legacy howard kurtz april 10, 2011

it was reported that he had ” lost the confidence” of anchors katie couric and matt lauer.
behind the shakeup at cnbc rachel sklar february 3, 2009

according to newseum curator carrie christoffersen, the brush signifies the “vanity required by anchors in the 1970s.”
anchorman 2’s pr blitz: dodge durangos, daft punk, rob ford’s campaign song, and whiskey marlow stern november 21, 2013

historical examples

he weighed his anchors and withdrew, and the queen and her party were relieved.
charles i jacob abbott

both ships got under way at once, for the anchors had been hove short.
four young explorers oliver optic

bills of rights are lessons of political wisdom and anchors of liberty.
charles sumner; his complete works, v. 4-20 charles sumner

raising their anchors, and keeping near the sh-r-, with frequent soundings, they pressed on toward the southwest.
the adventures of the chevalier de la salle and his companions, in their explorations of the prairies, forests, lakes, and rivers, of the new world, and their interviews with the savage tribes, two hundred years ago john s. c. abbott

all were indeed glad when the anchors were dropped off cap rouge, and none more so than roberval himself.
marguerite de roberval t. g. marquis

plural noun
(slang) the brakes of a motor vehicle: he rammed on the anchors
noun
any of several devices, usually of steel, attached to a vessel by a cable and dropped overboard so as to grip the bottom and restrict the vessel’s movement
an object used to hold something else firmly in place: the rock provided an anchor for the rope
a source of stability or security: religion was his anchor

a metal cramp, bolt, or similar fitting, esp one used to make a connection to masonry
(as modifier): anchor bolt, anchor plate

the rear person in a tug-of-war team
short for anchorman, anchorwoman

at anchor, (of a vessel) anch-r-d
cast anchor, come to anchor, drop anchor, to anchor a vessel
drag anchor, see drag (sense 13)
ride at anchor, to be anch-r-d
weigh anchor, to raise a vessel’s anchor or (of a vessel) to have its anchor raised in preparation for departure
verb
to use an anchor to hold (a vessel) in one place
to fasten or be fastened securely; fix or become fixed firmly
(transitive) (radio, television) to act as an anchorman on
n.

old english ancor, borrowed 9c. from latin ancora “anchor,” from or cognate with greek ankyra “anchor, hook” (see ankle). a very early borrowing and said to be the only latin nautical term used in the germanic languages. the -ch- form emerged late 16c., a pedantic imitation of a corrupt spelling of the latin word. the figurative sense of “that which gives stability or security” is from late 14c. meaning “host or presenter of a tv or radio program” is from 1965, short for anchorman.
v.

c.1200, from anchor (n.). related: anch-r-d; anchoring.

from acts 27:29, 30, 40, it would appear that the roman vessels carried several anchors, which were attached to the stern as well as to the prow. the roman anchor, like the modern one, had two teeth or flukes. in heb. 6:19 the word is used metaphorically for that which supports or keeps one steadfast in the time of trial or of doubt. it is an emblem of hope. “if you fear, put all your trust in g-d: that anchor holds.”