harness
noun
har·ness
| \ ˈhär-nəs
\
\
Definition of harness
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: the equipment other than a yoke of a draft animal
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)
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Synonyms for harness
Synonyms: Verb
apply, employ, exercise, exploit, operate, use, utilize
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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
Sturdy leashes, harness and carriers to transport pets safely. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "As Hurricane Dorian Approaches the U.S., Here's What You Need to Know to Keep Your Pet Safe," 28 Aug. 2019 Safety harnesses and crew will be available to help. — Lisa Herendeen, The Mercury News, "10 awesome Burning Man things to do on Day 3, Aug. 27," 5 Aug. 2019 The crew provides helmets, harnesses and a robust safety briefing. — Scott Mcmurren, Anchorage Daily News, "Trails, mountain views, giant pancakes and great beer: a weekend in Talkeetna has a lot to offer," 20 July 2019 All of these products join Fable's existing roster of leashes, collars, harnesses, and a carrier bag. — Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, "Fable's Amazing New Dog Crate Doubles as a Stylish Side Table," 17 July 2019 Free climbing uses ropes, harnesses and belays only as a means of protection, rather than to assist upward progress. — George Ramsay, CNN, "Everest deaths: 'Corners are being massively cut'," 24 June 2019 Proof that ruffles work best when paired with leather harnesses and chunky mary janes. — Michelle Li, Teen Vogue, "5 Asian Designers We Think Could Replace Kenzo’s Creative Director Duo," 14 June 2019 Each skier wore a wet suit and a life vest, and kite surfing harnesses that allowed them to secure the rope handle and rest their arms part of the time. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Can you waterski across Lake Michigan? Yep. Two teens skiied 62 miles from Wisconsin to Michigan," 14 Aug. 2019 Two workers on a scaffold on the upper floors of a West Rogers Park high-rise were rescued when the scaffold broke and they were left dangling from harnesses, officials said. — Liam Ford, chicagotribune.com, "2 workers rescued after high-rise scaffold breaks on Far North Side," 7 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Semien harnessed Arraez’s ground ball through the gap and, on his side, flipped the ball to a Chad Pinder, who also was tumbling but was able to scrape his foot across the bag. — Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, "Takeaways: Might October bring an Oakland Athletics-Minnesota Twins encore?," 21 July 2019 These eye masks harness the nutrients in snail slime along with peptides and 24k gold to give the skin under your eyes a high dose of moisture and boost its resilience. — Claudia Fisher, Health.com, "8 Anti-Aging Eye Creams on Sale for Prime Day That Are Too Good to Miss," 15 July 2019 My plan is to harness the energy of babies to finally put a man on the moon. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Kate McKinnon delivers spot-on impression of Marianne Williamson at Democratic debate," 28 June 2019 Specifically, strides made by left-handed hitters Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy and rookie Alex Verdugo have created more dilemmas for opposing managers and placed a greater emphasis on finding a blend of starters and relievers who can harness them. — Mark Gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs are facing a Dodgers lineup that is much tougher on left-handed pitching than it once was," 13 June 2019 That, in a nutshell, is Franco, who has as much power as almost any other Phillies hitter but can’t seem to harness it. — Scott Lauber, https://www.inquirer.com, "What should the Phillies do with Maikel Franco? | Extra Innings," 5 June 2019 Researchers have learned to harness stratospheric winds to help keep the balloons afloat. — Lila Maclellan, Quartz, "The Pentagon is testing powerful mass-surveillance balloons above six US states," 3 Aug. 2019 At this altitude, there is less resistance from Earth’s atmosphere, which means, this time, LightSail 2 should be able to harness the momentum from the Sun to raise its orbit by about 15 kilometers. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Spacecraft designed to ride on sunlight deploys its reflective solar sail," 23 July 2019 Participants can also pedal the Bike Machine from Working Bikes, Chicago, which can be used to harness electricity to power water pumps, lights and more. — Michelle Mullins, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin News Digest," 14 June 2019These 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.
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More Definitions for harness
harness
noun
English Language Learners Definition of harness
(Entry 1 of 2)
: 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
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of harness (Entry 2 of 2)
: to put a harness on (an animal)
: to attach (an animal) to something with a harness
: to use (something) for a particular purpose
See the full definition for harness in the English Language Learners Dictionary
harness
noun