harness

1 of 2

noun

har·​ness ˈhär-nəs 

1

a

: the equipment other than a yoke of a draft animal

b

: gear, equipment

especially : military equipment for a horse or man

2

a

: occupational surroundings or routine

get back into harness after a vacation

b

: close association

ability to work in harness with others

—R. P. Brooks

3

a

: something that resembles a harness (as in holding or fastening something)

a parachute harness

b

: prefabricated wiring with insulation and terminals (see terminal entry 2 sense 3) ready to be attached (as in an ignition or lighting system)

a wiring harness

4

: a part of a loom which holds and controls the heddles

harness

2 of 2

verb

harnessed; harnessing; harnesses

transitive verb

1

a

: to put a harness on

harnessed the ox

b

: to attach by means of a harness

harness the horses to the wagon

2

: to tie together : yoke

must harness his mechanical apparatus to his creative mind

—Andrew Buchanan

3

: utilize

harness the computer's potential

Synonyms

Verb

• use
• utilize
• exploit
• apply
• employ

Examples of harness in a Sentence

Noun

The pilot strapped himself into his harness before takeoff.

Verb

The horses were harnessed to the wagon.

Engineers are finding new ways to harness the sun's energy to heat homes.

The company is harnessing technology to provide better service to its customers.

They harnessed the power of the waterfall to create electricity.

harness anger to fight injustice

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Larsson has created dentalium harnesses combined with bison horn; Indigenous labels such as House of Sutai and Copper Canoe Woman have created striking body chains and headpieces. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2025

Getting there will require a policy strategy that favors technological neutrality, harnesses open-source software, prioritizes funding for algorithm and application development research, and has a low barrier of access. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025

Verb

Kumar, whose background is in software, also wants to harness AI to help improve the office. —Grace Hase, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025

This breakthrough demonstrates how quantum systems that resist thermalization can be harnessed to convert waste heat into usable power. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English harneys, herneys "equipment of a man-at-arms, body armor, fittings for a draft animal, apparel, baggage," borrowed from Anglo-French herneis, harneis (also continental Old French), probably borrowed from Old Norse *hernest "provisions for an armed force," from herr "host, army" + nest "provisions," going back to Germanic *nesta- (whence also Old English nest "food, provisions," Old High German -nest, in weganest "provisions for a journey"), derivative, with the noun and adjective suffix -to-, from the base of *nesan- "to save, be saved, return safely" — more at harry, nostalgia

Note: The Norse word was presumably assimilated to the French nominal and adjectival suffix -eis (going back to Latin -ēnsis; compare -ese entry 1), so that the compound was resegmented as harn-eis.

Verb

Middle English harneysen, harneyschen, hernessen "to equip with arms or armor, place accoutrements on a horse or ox, dress," borrowed from Anglo-French harneiser, herneiser, hernescher "to make ready, equip" (continental Old French harneschier, herneschier), derivative of harneis "equipment of a man-at-arms, baggage" — more at harness entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing harness

• harness horse
• harness racing
• in harness
• shoulder harness

Kids Definition

harness

1 of 2 noun

har·​ness ˈhär-nəs 

1

: the straps and fastenings by which an animal pulls a load

2

: an arrangement that resembles a harness

harness

2 of 2 verb

1

: to put a harness on

2

: to tie together : yoke

3

: to put to work : utilize

harness the sun's energy to heat homes