harness

play

noun har·ness \ ˈhär-nəs \

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

A trailering package was standard, with a seven-pin wiring harness, class III hitch, and heavy-duty cooling system, with a towing capacity of 4,000 pounds.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "New GMC Acadia Denali version gives this SUV the royal treatment," 25 Aug. 2017
That makes the gear expensive. Strollers — with five-point harnesses, side supports and back supports, and loops that allow them to be tied down on a bus — can run from $800 to $2,000.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "The right stuff: Maryland charity matches special-needs kids with vital gear," 14 Aug. 2017
Edge Adventures also provides all safety equipment, including helmet, harnesses and gloves.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "NWI's first aerial park reaches new heights," 11 Aug. 2017
The emphatically patriotic Finlandia harnesses the power of cumulative repetition that somehow never lapses into redundancy.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Philadelphia Orchestra by request leaves audience marching, not buzzing," 27 July 2017
In Thompson's group, one person wore a harness to carry the sculpture, while three others used poles to control the arms and secure the upper body.

— justin sayers, The Courier-Journal, "Cats, puppets and art - oh my! - at Day 1 of Forecastle," 14 July 2017
Bentley strained at his harness and worked his adorable underbite.

— andy newman, New York Times, "This Instagram Dog Wants to Sell You a Lint Roller," 13 July 2017
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said she was being lowered into the United States from Mexico via a hoist rope and a harness when she was spotted by agents on patrol.

— debbi baker, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Smugglers leave woman perilously dangling on Arizona border fence," 13 July 2017
Live entertainment, harness racing, antique tractor pull and demolition derby.

— rasputin todd, Cincinnati.com, "Things to do this week: July 11-16," 10 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

Other Equestrian Terms

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

harness

verb

Definition of harness

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

With the deal, Gilead would acquire Kite’s new cancer-fighting method, which harnesses the body’s immune system to attack malignant cells.

— michael j. de la merced, New York Times, "Gilead to Buy Kite, Maker of Cancer Treatments, for $11.9 Billion," 28 Aug. 2017
Those changes required careful management from winemakers, several of whom said that, if correctly harnessed, the heat could improve their product.

— jason horowitz, The Seattle Times, "In Italy’s drought-hit vineyards, the harvest of a changing climate," 25 Aug. 2017
In the 1920s and ‘30s, members of the Ku Klux Klan marched in torchlight parades, harnessing the theater of terror.

— edna friedberg, The Atlantic, "Why They Parade By Torchlight," 21 Aug. 2017
Trump has incited and harnessed the fear of replacement within his base.

— rich benjamin, Esquire, "Charlottesville Is the Fulfillment of Trump's Promise to 'Take Your Country Back'," 14 Aug. 2017
Now, harnessing cutting-edge science, a group of researchers has confirmed what Hooijer had suspected: Modern humans lived in Southeast Asia as far back as 73,000 years ago—about 20,000 years earlier than previously thought.

— april reese, Science | AAAS, "Modern humans were in Southeast Asia 20,000 years earlier than thought, ancient teeth reveal," 9 Aug. 2017
Communities that can harness the technology will fare better than those that don’t.

— scott canon, kansascity, "Brainpower is so yesterday — leave it to AI," 24 July 2017
The fresh-voiced singers, who were harnessed onto small platforms for much of the evening, were required to perfectly coordinate their stylized movements to the animations around them.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "'The Magic Flute' a surreal visual extravaganza," 16 July 2017
Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing our Digital Future.

— The Economist, "A new way to workWhat will business technology look like tomorrow?," 13 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of harness

see ¹harness

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

harness Synonyms

Synonyms

apply, employ, exercise, exploit, use, operate, utilize

Related Words

handle, manipulate, wield; direct, run, work; cannibalize, recycle, reuse

Near Antonyms

ignore, neglect; misapply, misuse

Other Equestrian Terms

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

HARNESS Defined for English Language Learners

harness

play

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

play

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.

Learn More about harness

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for harness Spanish Central: Translation of harness Nglish: Translation of harness for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of harness for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about harness

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up harness? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

harness

Definition of harness

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of harness in a Sentence

Recent Examples of harness from the Web

Origin and Etymology of harness

Other Equestrian Terms

harness

Definition of harness

Examples of harness in a Sentence

Recent Examples of harness from the Web

Origin and Etymology of harness

harness Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Equestrian Terms

Phrases Related to HARNESS

Related Phrases

HARNESS Defined for English Language Learners

harness

Definition of harness for English Language Learners

harness

Definition of harness for English Language Learners

HARNESS Defined for Kids

harness

Definition of harness for Students

harness

Definition of harness for Students

Learn More about harness

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

Trending: Ivanka: "An 'Otherwise' Incredible Day"

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes

Words of the Year: 1066