锚是船舶停泊时固定船只，使之不能漂走的工具。一般主锚都是设置在船头两侧，而辅助锚是设置在船尾的。

古代的锚往往是只是一块石头、一个袋子石头、沙子，后来锚的外形演变成了三角形。

锚是海军的精神象征，在多数国家的军舰旗，能够看到锚的图案。

在Unicode中，锚的符号为U+2693（⚓）。

An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα (ankura).

Anchors can either be temporary or permanent. Permanent anchors are used in the creation of a mooring, and are rarely moved; a specialist service is normally needed to move or maintain them. Vessels carry one or more temporary anchors, which may be of different designs and weights.