SHELTERS Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

shelters 1 of 2

noun

plural of shelter

as in refuges

something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger the sudden fierce storm forced us to run to the nearest shelter

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shelters

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shelter

as in protects

to be or provide a shelter for the abandoned barn shelters a colony of stray cats

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

exposes

as in houses

to provide with living quarters or shelter sheltered the troops in tents until permanent barracks could be built

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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 shelters

Noun

According to Gatto, the right traditionally emphasizes tougher criminal penalties for aggressors, while the left places greater emphasis on protection and support for victims, including shelters and specialized services. — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026 In 2023, King was commissioned by Public Art Fund to produce a series of photographs that were displayed on bus shelters and newsstands across New York, Chicago, and Boston. — News Desk, Artforum, 23 Oct. 2026 Kapszukiewicz thanked all community agencies that helped respond to the event, including those who assisted in evacuating residents and setting up shelters. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026 Most schools have been destroyed, while the ones that remain standing have been turned into shelters for displaced people. — Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026 Smith has called for more clarity around shelters in city zoning code. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026 Here are Norte fire evacuations, shelters and school closures. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 And the Flex Shed’s platform height and column placement can be easily tailored to exist in harmony with street signs, bus stop shelters, and trees. — Sophia Lebowitz, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 On inauguration day, his administration rescinded guidelines that largely prevented immigration agents from making arrests at sensitive locations — including domestic violence shelters and hospitals. — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

Made up of vast mangrove forests, brackish marshlands, and tons of tiny islands, the refuge shelters a wide variety of animals, including American alligators and crocodiles, Florida panthers, manatees, river otters, bottle-nosed dolphins, and more than 200 species of migratory birds. — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2026 The film centers on Cheng Jun, a Chinese international student working the night shift at a 24-hour convenience store who forms an unlikely bond with a homeless elderly woman who shelters there each night. — Jenny S. Li, Variety, 15 June 2026 Rain pushes the weeds higher, then shelters them on turf too soft for the machines meant to clip them. — CBS News, 1 May 2026 Remove firewood, bricks, boards, tarps, or vegetation up against the house, which shelters insects that provide food for spiders, says Gray. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026 Though Brigitta despises him, Maria shelters him. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Apr. 2026 The roof of his celebrated Restaurant Mestizo, also in the capital city, is supported by huge load-bearing stones from a local quarry; his Pite House, a residence in nearby Papudo, sits nestled on a cliffside that shelters it from prevailing winds. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026 This slime shelters symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 14 Jan. 2026 The organization shelters about 70 dogs and 50 cats, many injured or left without owners by the war. — Tavleen Tarrant, NBC news, 28 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelters

Noun

These spaces are sanctuaries, refuges from digital saturation.

— Ingrid Schmidt, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
Piling leaves in corners or under shrubs creates refuges for these species.

— Pam Rosendal, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of refuges

Verb

The lawsuit argues the change violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it was adopted without explanation and the First Amendment, which protects lawyers' ability to advise people of their legal rights and seek prospective clients.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
The arrangement does not grant Indigenous peoples ownership of the sea or seabed, but protects the area’s ancestral uses, including fishing, shellfish and seaweed gathering, as well as access to sacred sites and areas used for navigation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of protects

Verb

Don’t miss the 153-year-old Point Arena Lighthouse, where a climb up the 115-foot tower yields birds-eye views and the Signal Museum houses the original Fresnel lens.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
The historic building that houses the restaurant used to be an orphanage for young girls, and the dining space was once a classroom.

— Jessica Jungbauer, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of houses

Noun

From digital networks to dance floor sanctuaries, the reimagining of reggaeton called ‘neoperreo’ — made by and for femmes and freaks — turns 10 this year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
With a foreword by fashion designer Jenna Lyons, the book showcases a variety of distinct residential projects, from city penthouses and lakeside retreats to coastal sanctuaries, culminating in their first luxury yacht project.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of sanctuaries

Verb

Concertgoers are surely used to the fan archetype who camps outside the venue for hours to secure a spot along the barricade, but the lines outside Nationals Park on Wednesday didn’t hold the promise of a better view.

— Kendall Staton, Washington Post, 25 July 2026
That sounds like a figure of speech because nobody camps out overnight for tickets anymore.

— Phil Hay, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026

Definition of camps

Noun

Sylge, who has spent the last 30 years attending and organizing health and wellness retreats around the world, developed this exercise to help people reclaim their time.

— Margaret Cirino, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
The Door offers seven-day retreats, reasoning that that’s the amount of time required to bring you back to you.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreats

Noun

As for the suites, the highlight is their private terraces, peaceful havens from which to admire, paradoxically, the urban whirlwind swirling below.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
World-class accommodations and dining, wellness facilities, and an array of indulgent activities and events are transforming harbors into truly lavish havens.

— Chrissie McClatchie, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of havens

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“Shelters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelters. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shelters

noun

verb

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