harness

noun

har·ness | \ ˈhär-nəs

Definition of harness

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the equipment other than a yoke of a draft animal

b : gear, equipment especially : military equipment for a horse or man

2a : occupational surroundings or routine get back into harness after a vacation

b : close association ability to work in harness with others— R. P. Brooks

3a : 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

verb

harnessed; harnessing; harnesses

Definition of harness (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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 More Example Sentences Learn More about harness

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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

Perhaps when Congressmen start wearing harnesses or Planned Parenthood pins their outfit choices will similarly be worth reporting on more. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "House Democratic Women Wear Suffragette White to State of the Union," 6 Feb. 2019 Like it or not, the men’s red carpet harness is officially here to stay. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Michael B. Jordan Is the Latest Hollywood Man to Rock a Harness," 28 Jan. 2019 The Virgil Abloh–designed Louis Vuitton harness over a mock neck is distinct as hell. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "Let's Speculate About Timothée Chalamet's Golden Globes Outfit," 7 Jan. 2019 On Sunday, a helicopter that carried five passengers who were wearing harnesses that allowed them to lean out the open doors crashed into the East River. — Patrick Mcgeehan, New York Times, "F.A.A. Halts ‘Doors-Off’ Helicopter Flights After New York Crash," 16 Mar. 2018 Past runners include Carl Peatfield, who suffered brain damage after a cyanide poisoning accident at his workplace and ran in the 2002 ultramarathon in a kind of harness supported by four friends. — Washington Post, "South African man who survived impaling to run ultramarathon," 6 June 2018 Once truck-makers harness battery power for towing, off-roading, and other pickup tasks, electric trucks are poised to take off in a big way. — Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "Amazon Invests In Electric Pickup Truck Startup Rivian," 15 Feb. 2019 As quickly as a squall can turn into a blizzard, the men’s fashion harness has made its swift return to the red carpet, thanks to Louis Vuitton menswear creative director Virgil Abloh. — Rachel Hahn, Vogue, "Travis Scott Takes the Man Harness Into the Polar Vortex," 31 Jan. 2019 Lang did it many times, over, with minimal white harnesses over bare chested models wearing only a pair of pristinely tailored black trousers. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Virgil Abloh, Michael Jackson, and the History of the Male Fashion Harness," 17 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Pentagon is making a massive push to accelerate the application of artificial intelligence to ships, tanks, aircraft, drones, weapons and large networks as part of a sweeping strategy to more quickly harness and integrate the latest innovations. — Kris Osborn, Fox News, "Pentagon makes massive new AI push for tanks, ships, weapons, drones and networks," 19 July 2018 To harness the early talent perspective and ensure the early talent is fully leveraged inside SAP, the company is offering a wide variety of on-boarding tools to jump start our careers. — Fortune Editors, Fortune, "The 40 Best Workplaces in Technology," 17 Jan. 2018 Soccer's powerful place in British society can also be harnessed to foster harmonious relations. — Rob Harris, Fox News, "Volatile political mood emboldens soccer abuse, Ouseley says," 10 Aug. 2018 The debate over how emerging technologies are being harnessed by those looking to spread hateful or bigoted ideas has raged for decades. — Mihir Zaveri, BostonGlobe.com, "Amazon is used to promote white supremacist merchandise, report says," 8 July 2018 At that time, Valentine’s champion was a three-year-old red brindle named Carpo who was harnessed up to the jenny—what Curro had christened the Carousel of Death. — Chicago Tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award runner-up: "Am I Not Your Animal" by Matt Jones," 2 June 2018 Most of Fredericksburg’s talent is homegrown and was harnessed by Peter Schandua, a local businessman who started the Fredericksburg Rams select organization when this year’s seniors were 8 years old. — Adam Zuvanich, San Antonio Express-News, "Small-town Fredericksburg team big on talent," 23 May 2018 Those feelings were harnessed by the nationalist party Alternative for Germany to help them win seats in federal parliament for the first time last year. — Washington Post, "Syrian migrants bring traditional Arab dance to Berlin," 24 Apr. 2018 Standing next to me alongside pools of meltwater frosted over in the morning shade, a baby swathed in a red snowsuit is harnessed to his American father’s chest, staring at it all. — Daniel Otis, Sunset, "Awe-Inspiring Canadian Rockies Camping Adventure," 22 Jan. 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.