wharf/pier/dock/harbor/port

[quietdandelion]

Another popular spot in San Francisco is Fisherman's Wharf.


In my dictionary, wharf is synonymous with "pier; dock; harbor; port" and I have googled all of the photos of these words. It seems to me that they are really the same. Am I right? Thanks.

 

[The Slippery Slide]

I'm hazy on some of the differences too, but a pier is a long walkway extending into the sea. Sometimes it is a place for people to walk, sit or fish. Sometimes, boats leave from it. It's not the same as the other words.

I'm guessing now. A dock is a spot where individual boats stop, while a harbor is the whole docking area. I guess that a port is a harbor that is used for trade. Port is also used to describe a town or city that has a trading harbor.

I have no evidence to back this up, but I know that there are definite differences, even if I can't put my finger on them right now.

As for wharf, I think it is most similar to pier, but is maybe smaller.

 

[quietdandelion]

Thanks, Slippery, for the elaborate explanation.
I see eye to eye with you on the those differences.