SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

harp

noun \ ˈhärp \

Definition of harp

1 :a plucked stringed instrument consisting of a resonator, an arched or angled neck that may be supported by a post, and strings of graded length that are perpendicular to the soundboard

2 :something resembling a harp

3 :harmonica 2

—

harpist

play \ˈhär-pist\ noun

See harp defined for English-language learners

See harp defined for kids

Recent Examples of harp from the Web

Spots are available in oboe, bassoon, horn, trombone, tuba, harp, violin, viola, cello, bass, and percussion.

— sarah bonnette, NOLA.com, "Covington's White Linen night celebrates Walker Percy, raises money for public art fund," 28 Aug. 2017
According to another theory, a unique silver-stringed harp that once belonged to Rhaegar is in Lyanna's tomb.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "14 Game of Thrones Theories That Will Blow Your Mind in Season 7," 23 Aug. 2017
The concert promises spectacular solo harp music plus some world favorites.

— marlene robershaw, Ramona Sentinel, "Concert association announces 2017-18 season lineup," 7 Aug. 2017
Denève‘s tempos in Waltz of the Flowers were intriguingly relaxed, starting with a fearlessly expansive reading of the harp cadenza.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Young pianist shines at orchestra's Mann Center Tchaikovsky show," 20 July 2017
While Trump and his administration harp on their perpetual victimhood—coming across as small and unprepared as people can be—

— jessica valenti, Marie Claire, "Dear Trump Family, You Are Not Victims," 13 July 2017
Listen to Bo Miller play beautiful and soothing harp music.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Spend your summer at Mount Washington Library," 30 June 2017
Bearcubs incorporate electric harps and all manner of strange synthetic noise to tantalize your ear drums.

— kat bein, Billboard, "Petit Biscuit's 'Sunset Lover' Gets Six Slick Remixes From Slow Hours, More: Listen," 16 June 2017
But having won two out of the three legs and trained two of the top three finishers at the Belmont, Pletcher didn’t harp on the missed opportunity.

— tim balk, SI.com, "Tapwrit's final finish makes up for Triple Crown letdown at Belmont," 11 June 2017

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

Illustration of harp

Origin and Etymology of harp

Middle English, from Old English hearpe; akin to Old High German harpha harp

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

2

harp

verb

Definition of harp

intransitive verb

1 :to play on a harp

2 :to dwell on or recur to a subject tiresomely or monotonously —usually used with on

See harp defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of harp from the Web

The themes that protesters pointed to were often ones that Trump has harped on.

— michael scherer, Time, "Bigots Get a Boost from the Bully Pulpit After Charlottesville," 17 Aug. 2017
First-year position coach John Rushing is harping on consistent fundamentals, from proper tackling technique to effectively playing the ball in the air.

— OregonLive.com, "Oregon State fall camp report: Clune wants more out of second-team defense," 7 Aug. 2017
Coming out of Florida State, numerous draft analysts harped on Williams' size, speed and ability to play physical, projecting him as a nice fit for a team incorporating a press-man scheme because of his bump-and-run coverage ability.

— herbie teope, NOLA.com, "Saints' P.J. Williams eyes steady improvement, staying healthy in heated position battle," 31 July 2017
Women are much more than their looks, and by constantly harping on physical qualities of females, the president — and his friends — are sending a problematic message.

— de elizabeth, Allure, "Corey Lewandowski Called Melania Trump "Beautiful" Three Times in One Interview," 20 July 2017
Trump himself often harps on the topic as a way to criticize former President Barack Obama.

— leigh cuen, Teen Vogue, "Here Are The Lies Told By Donald Trump and His Administration About Healthcare," 1 July 2017
This week it was reported that even Jeff Sessions, who is among Trump’s earliest and most loyal supporters, offered to resign after the president continued to harp on his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Isolated and Enraged, Trump Sets out to Combat Comey Alone," 7 June 2017
But Matt doesn't believe in harping on the drawbacks of farming.

— javonte anderson, Post-Tribune, "Farmers work overtime to make up for weak spring," 2 June 2017
But interviewers continued to harp on the subject like I was being interrogated by the FBI.

— debra bethard-caplick, Good Housekeeping, "I Left My Job to Take Care of My Sick Mom — Now No One Will Hire Me," 13 Mar. 2017

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

First Known Use of harp

before 12th century

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

HARP Defined for English Language Learners

harp

noun

Definition of harp for English Language Learners

: a musical instrument that has strings stretched across a large open frame and that is played with your fingers

HARP Defined for Kids

1

harp

noun \ ˈhärp \

Definition of harp for Students

:a musical instrument consisting of a triangular frame set with strings that are plucked by the fingers

2

harp

verb

Definition of harp for Students

harped; harping

:to call attention to something over and over again

The teacher harped on her mistake.

Learn More about harp

See words that rhyme with harp Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for harp Spanish Central: Translation of harp Nglish: Translation of harp for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of harp for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about harp

Seen and Heard

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

show

WORD OF THE DAY

hew

play

to conform or adhere

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-59e900afadac6

The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453

I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593

The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

alt-59e673567065d

The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Noah Webster first entered the term in 1840

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots

The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz

knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus

Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game