refuge

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship.
2. n. A place providing protection or shelter.
3. n. A source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble. See Synonyms at shelter.
4. v. To give refuge to.
5. v. To take refuge.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Shelter or protection from danger or distress.
2. n. That which shelters or protects from danger, distress, or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; any place where one is out of the way of a threatened danger or evil; specifically, an institution where the destitute or homeless find temporary shelter; an asylum.
3. n. An expedient to secure protection, defense, or excuse; a device; a contrivance; a shift; a resource.
4. n. Synonyms Safety, security.
5. n. Asylum, retreat, sanctuary, harbor, covert.
6. To shelter; protect; find refuge or excuse for.
7. To take shelter.
8. n. A dialectal form of refuse.
9. n. Same as isle of safety.

Wiktionary

1. n. A state of safety, protection or shelter
2. n. A place providing safety, protection or shelter
3. n. Something or someone turned to for safety or assistance; a recourse or resort
4. v. obsolete To shelter; to protect.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Shelter or protection from danger or distress.
2. n. That which shelters or protects from danger, or from distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; a place inaccessible to an enemy.
3. n. An expedient to secure protection or defense; a device or contrivance.
4. v. obsolete To shelter; to protect.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a safe place
2. n. act of turning to for assistance
3. n. something or someone turned to for assistance or security
4. n. a shelter from danger or hardship