harness

noun har·ness \ ˈhär-nəs \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: harness in a Sentence

Definition of harness

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 ²terminal 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

See harness defined for English-language learners

See harness defined for kids

Examples of harness in a Sentence

The pilot strapped himself into his harness before takeoff.

Recent Examples of harness from the Web

At the Oscars, Rippon demanded attention in a Moschino tuxedo with a leather harness across his chest (pictured above) .

— jamie lisanti, SI.com, "Fashionable 50," 10 July 2018
Wall hangings that depict horses in harness will go out to bid.

— anne geggis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Florida's last harness racing track revels in decades of memories," 12 July 2018
The idea was proposed by officials from Hawthorne Racecourse in the Cicero area and the company that runs its harness racing, Suburban Downs, along with operators of Fairmount Park in downstate Collinsville.

— robert mccoppin, chicagotribune.com, "Betting on past horse races? Tracks seek OK to take wagers on 'historical horse racing'," 26 June 2018
Original race cars, vintage cycling gear, harness-racing sulkies, and other racing items will also be on display.

— Philly.com, "Art Star Craft Bazaar, Love Your Park Week, New Hope Celebrates Pride, and other great events, May 11-18," 9 May 2018
Using the harness is a safe way for skaters to perfect the technique of the rotational move before attempting it on the ice.

— jenny mccoy, SELF, "How Figure Skaters Like Mirai Nagasu Actually Train to Do a Triple Axel," 9 Feb. 2018
The adaptogenic ingestible supplement harnesses super-herbs and mushrooms to combat stress, treat fatigue, and restore energy levels.

— jenna rennert, Vogue, "14 Red, White and Blue Beauty Products for Fourth of July," 3 July 2018
That comfort is the result of the leaf-spring suspension under the stroller, as well as the cush infant sling harness securing Jojo inside.

— joe jackson, Outside Online, "Thule's Chariot Is the Best Running Stroller," 27 June 2018
Members of the Independence Township Technical Rescue Team climbed the tower and secured the man in a harness to lower him to the ground, the sheriff's office said.

— hasan dudar, Detroit Free Press, "Suicidal man at Pine Knob Ski Resort changes mind: 'I chickened out'," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'harness.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of harness

Middle English herneis baggage, gear, from Anglo-French harneis, herneis, probably from Old Norse *hernest, from herr army + nest provisions

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Equestrian Terms

canter, cantle, curry, farrier, hunter, paddock, router, skirt, tack

harness

verb

Definition of harness

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

See harness defined for English-language learners

Examples of harness in a Sentence

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 of harness from the Web

Image Amber Baldet While the JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon was bashing Bitcoin as a fraud, his employee Amber Baldet put the bank at the front of Wall Street’s efforts to harness the blockchain.

— New York Times, "The People Leading the Blockchain Revolution," 27 June 2018
Donations from this Omaze campaign will help SixDegrees.org harness the power of connection to support grassroots nonprofits and their often overlooked social missions.

— breanne l. heldman, PEOPLE.com, "Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick Want to Go Dancing — With You," 20 June 2018
His team noted that the technology harnessed by the acoustic belt was initially designed to track munching sounds emanating from termites.

— alan mozes, chicagotribune.com, "Tummy rumblings might help diagnose bowel disorder," 8 June 2018
The Golden Knights, projected to be a bottom-of-the-barrel expansion team, harnessed their speed and work ethic and the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury to win the Pacific Division.

— helene elliott, latimes.com, "Golden Knights vs. Capitals: How Vegas and Washington match up in the Stanley Cup Final," 27 May 2018
But those of us who came in cars, fire, the controlled, harnessed fire made that possible.

— cnn staff, CNN, "Bishop Michael Curry's sermon -- the full text," 19 May 2018
For instance, an interconnected grid would enable North African and the Middle Eastern countries harnessing their ample solar power potential to transmit generated electricity to colder and less sunny northern Europe.

— Washington Post, "Scholar: Dumping fossil fuels by 2050 needed to save climate," 19 May 2018
Pivetta thus far has harnessed his previously erratic command and ridden a 28-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio to a 2.57 ERA in five starts.

— scott lauber, Philly.com, "Jake Arrieta drawing inspiration from young Phillies starters," 23 Apr. 2018
The footage comes from actual dogs named Ako and Asuka that ran around Japan with cameras harnessed to their backs.

— suzannah weiss, Teen Vogue, "Google Maps Releases "Dog View" Feature in Japan," 8 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of harness

see ¹harness

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

harness Synonyms

Phrases

bring to bear, draw on (or upon), make use of;

Other Equestrian Terms

canter, cantle, curry, farrier, hunter, paddock, router, skirt, tack

HARNESS Defined for English Language Learners

harness

noun

Definition of harness for English Language Learners

: a set of straps that are placed on an animal (such as a horse) so that it can pull something heavy
: a set of straps that are used to connect a person to something (such as a parachute or a seat)

harness

verb

Definition of harness for English Language Learners

: to put a harness on (an animal)
: to attach (an animal) to something with a harness
: to use (something) for a particular purpose

HARNESS Defined for Kids

harness

noun har·ness \ ˈhär-nəs \

Definition of harness for Students

: the straps and fastenings placed on an animal so it can be controlled or prepared to pull a load

harness

verb

Definition of harness for Students

harnessed; harnessing

1 : to put straps and fastenings on

I harnessed the horses.

2 : to put to work : utilize

Wind can be harnessed to generate power.

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Definition of harness

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Origin and Etymology of harness

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harness

Definition of harness

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Origin and Etymology of harness

harness Synonyms

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Definition of harness for English Language Learners

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