1
2
a
: occupational surroundings or routine
get back into harness after a vacation
b
: close association
ability to work in harness with others—
R. P. Brooks
R. P. Brooks3
a
: 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
harnessed; harnessing; harnesses
Synonyms
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 WebPhoebe Sklansky, Parents, 4 Apr. 2024
Hermès, which was founded in 1837 as a maker of horse harnesses, is renowned for its craftsmanship.
—Jasmine Li, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Brands that harness emotions and spin captivating narratives are clinching the hearts of Gen Z consumers.
—Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The second concern involved hundreds of feet of protective tape used to cover the wiring harnesses inside the Starliner vehicle, which was discovered to be flammable.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024
And for still hunting, a simple harness, without a case, is usually best.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 13 Mar. 2024
Dramatic video captured Carden rappelling down to the cab, hooking the driver up to a safety harness and lifting her safely back to the bridge surface.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2024
She was finally rescued by an LAFD helicopter crew using a hoist cable and harness.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
The car company said that water may leak into the transmission control harness, which can cause a short circuit and unexpectedly shift the transmission from park to neutral.
—USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
William Mullane, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Nevertheless, the case illustrates how cybercriminals can harness freely available LLMs to polish their attacks.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
In San Jose, officials are now harnessing the rapidly evolving technology with another goal in mind: detecting homeless encampments.
—Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Hackman Capital announced a $1.25-billion plan two years ago to expand and upgrade facilities on the lot at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in hopes of harnessing strong demand in the region for soundstages, production facilities and offices for rent on studio lots.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Short for spin transport electronics, spintronics harnesses both the electron’s intrinsic magnetic property—its spin—and its electric charge to improve electronic devices.
—IEEE Spectrum, 31 Mar. 2024
At the same time, harnessing the power of the digital ecosystem has allowed a random TV panellist to outmanoeuvre the two leading political coalitions with an absolute lack of party structure in just two years.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Start a Movement For its Music of the Spheres tour, Coldplay deployed a kinetic dancefloor, harnessing the crowd’s movement to activate LED lights and other visuals — and to generate electricity that was then routed to power elements of the production.
—Dave Brooks, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Adopting a proactive and comprehensive approach to security, including encryption, access controls, continuous monitoring, and user training, academic institutions can harness the benefits of AI while safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining academic integrity.
—David Balaban, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
And on cooler days, a baby blanket can help keep your little one in their stroller or car seat (over, not under the harness).
—Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 4 Apr. 2024
Hermès, which was founded in 1837 as a maker of horse harnesses, is renowned for its craftsmanship.
—Jasmine Li, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Brands that harness emotions and spin captivating narratives are clinching the hearts of Gen Z consumers.
—Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The second concern involved hundreds of feet of protective tape used to cover the wiring harnesses inside the Starliner vehicle, which was discovered to be flammable.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024
And for still hunting, a simple harness, without a case, is usually best.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 13 Mar. 2024
Dramatic video captured Carden rappelling down to the cab, hooking the driver up to a safety harness and lifting her safely back to the bridge surface.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2024
She was finally rescued by an LAFD helicopter crew using a hoist cable and harness.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
The car company said that water may leak into the transmission control harness, which can cause a short circuit and unexpectedly shift the transmission from park to neutral.
—USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
From the intricacies of regulatory compliance across diverse jurisdictions to the imperative of harnessing technological advancements for operational efficiency, the terrain is both challenging and ripe with potential.
—William Mullane, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Nevertheless, the case illustrates how cybercriminals can harness freely available LLMs to polish their attacks.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 10 Apr. 2024
In San Jose, officials are now harnessing the rapidly evolving technology with another goal in mind: detecting homeless encampments.
—Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
Hackman Capital announced a $1.25-billion plan two years ago to expand and upgrade facilities on the lot at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in hopes of harnessing strong demand in the region for soundstages, production facilities and offices for rent on studio lots.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Short for spin transport electronics, spintronics harnesses both the electron’s intrinsic magnetic property—its spin—and its electric charge to improve electronic devices.
—IEEE Spectrum, 31 Mar. 2024
At the same time, harnessing the power of the digital ecosystem has allowed a random TV panellist to outmanoeuvre the two leading political coalitions with an absolute lack of party structure in just two years.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Start a Movement For its Music of the Spheres tour, Coldplay deployed a kinetic dancefloor, harnessing the crowd’s movement to activate LED lights and other visuals — and to generate electricity that was then routed to power elements of the production.
—Dave Brooks, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2024
Adopting a proactive and comprehensive approach to security, including encryption, access controls, continuous monitoring, and user training, academic institutions can harness the benefits of AI while safeguarding sensitive data and maintaining academic integrity.
—David Balaban, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near harness
Cite this Entry
“Harness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harness. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share