Refuge
A shelter or protection from danger or hardship; a place offering safety or security.
nounRefuge
A shelter or protection from danger or hardship; a place offering safety or security.
nounImagine This
Imagine a hiker caught in a sudden storm who discovers a small cave. The cave becomes a warm refuge, shielding the hiker from the wind and rain until the danger passes.
Sounds Like
REF-yooj
Looks Like
Resembles 'refugee' in spelling; shares the Latin root fugere (to flee).
Remember This
Refuge and refugee are related but distinct: refuge is the place of safety, while a refugee is a person seeking that safety. The root fug- (from Latin fugere, to flee) shows up in many words about fleeing, such as fugitive.
Other Forms
Connect With
shelter, sanctuary, haven, asylum, harbor
Note
Use 'seek refuge' or 'take refuge' to describe the act of finding safety. Do not use 'refuge' as a verb. When talking about multiple safe places, use 'refuges'.
Study Deeper
- During the flood, residents sought refuge in the town hall.
- The forest offered a quiet refuge from the city noise.
From Old French refuge, from Latin refugium 'retreat, shelter', from re- 'back' + fugere 'to flee'.
RE-FUGE: to flee back to safety; a refuge is the place you run to when danger strikes.
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Lugubrious
adjectiveMournful or gloomy, often to an exaggerated or affected degree.
Acknowledge
verbTo admit that something is true or real; to recognize the existence, validity, or status of something or someone; and to confirm receipt or awareness of something.
Asperity
nounThe roughness or unevenness of a surface; harshness or sharpness of temper or manner.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Harbor
verbTo shelter or provide refuge for someone; to conceal or protect; to hold in the mind (as in harboring a thought, feeling, or grievance).
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling