harvest

1 of 2

noun

har·​vest ˈhär-vəst How to pronounce harvest (audio)
often attributive
1
: the season for gathering in agricultural crops
the beginning of the harvest
2
: the act or process of gathering in a crop
assisting neighbors in their harvest
3
a
: a mature crop (as of grain or fruit) : yield
bountiful harvests
b
: the quantity of a natural product gathered in a single season
the salmon harvest
timber harvests
4
: an accumulated store or productive result
a harvest of revenue

harvest

2 of 2

verb

harvested; harvesting; harvests

transitive verb

1
a
: to gather in (a crop) : reap
harvesting corn
b
: to gather, catch, hunt, or kill (salmon, oysters, deer, etc.) for human use, sport, or population control
c
: to remove or extract (something, such as living cells, tissues, or organs) from culture (see culture entry 1 sense 3) or from a living or recently deceased body especially for transplanting
2
a
: to accumulate a store of
has now harvested this new generation's scholarly laborsM. J. Wiener
b
: to win by achievement
the team harvested several awards

intransitive verb

: to gather in a crop especially for food
sold it standing in the field to save himself the trouble of harvestingPearl Buck
harvestable adjective
harvester noun

Examples of harvest in a Sentence

Noun The beginning of the harvest varies from year to year. It is time for the harvest. They prayed for a bountiful harvest. We had enormous harvests of corn this year. Verb It is time to harvest the wheat. They want to harvest timber in these woods.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Spring and summer elections were thought to interfere with farmers' planting season, and late summer and early fall elections overlapped with their busiest harvest, History.com indicates. Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024 The festival, which is spread over a period of five days, also marks the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar, and celebrates the year’s last rice-crop harvest, per JSTOR. For Sikhs, meanwhile, Diwali celebrates sixth Guru, who serves as a source of inspiration and a symbol for freedom. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Bramble fruit are harvested from canes which produce a crop in their second year of growth. Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024 Even if they’re harvested in the form of digital DNA. Want to go deeper? Benji Jones, Vox, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for harvest 

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English hervest, from Old English hærfest; akin to Latin carpere to pluck, gather, Greek karpos fruit

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of harvest was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near harvest

Cite this Entry

“Harvest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harvest. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

harvest

1 of 2 noun
har·​vest ˈhär-vəst How to pronounce harvest (audio)
1
: the season when crops are gathered
2
: the gathering of a crop
3
: a ripe crop (as of grain or fruit)
also : the quantity of a crop gathered in a single season

harvest

2 of 2 verb
1
: to gather in a crop : reap
2
: to gather as if by harvesting
harvest timber

More from Merriam-Webster on harvest

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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