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
harvested; harvesting; harvests
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 labors—
M. J. Wiener
M. J. Wiener
b
: to win by achievement
the team harvested several awards
: to gather in a crop especially for food
sold it standing in the field to save himself the trouble of harvesting—Pearl Buck
Pearl Buck
harvester
noun
Synonyms
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 WebMike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 5 July 2024
This boosts zucchini's fruit production, which leads to a bigger harvest (and many more loaves of zucchini bread in your future!).
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 3 July 2024
Joseph Lee, Vox, 3 July 2024
Later, the skirmishes mostly involved watermen from Maryland and Virginia looking to harvest more than state laws allowed.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for harvest 
Noun
The vines experienced long, hot—but not too hot—days with extended hang time for the grapes before harvest.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 5 July 2024
This boosts zucchini's fruit production, which leads to a bigger harvest (and many more loaves of zucchini bread in your future!).
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 3 July 2024
Verb
According to the Federal Subsistence Management Program, rural Alaskans harvest 295 pounds of wild food per person, more than the 255 pounds of domestic meat, fish, and poultry that the average American consumes per year.
—Joseph Lee, Vox, 3 July 2024
Later, the skirmishes mostly involved watermen from Maryland and Virginia looking to harvest more than state laws allowed.
—Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for harvest
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harvest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near harvest
Cite this Entry
“Harvest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harvest. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
harvest
1 of 2 noun
har·vest
ˈhär-vəst 
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 verb1
: to gather in a crop : reap
2
: to gather as if by harvesting
harvest timber
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