harness
Americannoun
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the combination of straps, bands, and other parts forming the working gear of a draft animal.
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(on a loom) the frame containing heddles through which the warp is drawn and which, in combination with another such frame or other frames, forms the shed and determines the woven pattern.
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the equipment, as straps, bolts, or gears, by which a large bell is mounted and rung.
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Electricity. wiring harness.
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armor for persons or horses.
verb (used with object)
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to put a harness on (a horse, donkey, dog, etc.); attach by a harness, as to a vehicle.
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to bring under conditions for effective use; gain control over for a particular end.
to harness water power; to harness the energy of the sun.
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Archaic. to array in armor or equipments of war.
idioms
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in double harness. double harness.
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in harness,
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engaged in one's usual routine of work.
After his illness he longed to get back in harness.
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together as cooperating partners or equals.
Joe and I worked in harness on our last job.
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noun
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an arrangement of leather straps buckled or looped together, fitted to a draught animal in order that the animal can be attached to and pull a cart
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something resembling this, esp for attaching something to the body
a parachute harness
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mountaineering an arrangement of webbing straps that enables a climber to attach himself to the rope so that the impact of a fall is minimized
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the total system of electrical leads for a vehicle or aircraft
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weaving the part of a loom that raises and lowers the warp threads, creating the shed
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archaic armour collectively
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at one's routine work
verb
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to put harness on (a horse)
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(usually foll by to) to attach (a draught animal) by means of harness to (a cart, etc)
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to control so as to employ the energy or potential power of
to harness the atom
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to equip or clothe with armour
Other Word Forms
- harness-like adjective
- harnesser noun
- harnessless adjective
- harnesslike adjective
- reharness verb (used with object)
- well-harnessed adjective
Etymology
Origin of harness
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English harneis, herneis, from Old French herneis “baggage, equipment,” from Old Norse hernest (unrecorded) “provisions for an armed force,” equivalent to herr “army” ( harbor, herald ) + nest “provisions for a journey”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mitchell was on hand to test the harness and wires beforehand, and to help ensure Robbie's safety when it was her turn.
From BBC
“The promise of prediction markets is to harness the wisdom of the crowd to create accurate, unbiased forecasts for the most important events to society,” Polymarket said in a note on its site.
There are far greater capacities in civil society and the private sector than in 1945, "and we need to be able to harness that: we don't have to do everything in the UN."
From Barron's
Activists are harnessing anger over January’s brutal crackdown to revive protests aimed at toppling the Islamic Republic.
And as McCartney’s post-Beatles renaissance reveals, harnessing his ambitions has made all the difference.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
