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 labors M. 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 harvesting Pearl Buck
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.
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
Rushing to transplant tomatoes before the ideal time doesn't translate into an earlier harvest because tomatoes need specific conditions, such as plenty of sunlight and hot weather to grow. Lauren David, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025 Local farmers come in from all over the island for the chance to proudly showcase their harvest. Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
Now the physicist and tech entrepreneur is focused on chocolate — not from cacao harvested in tropical climates more suited to the plant, but from cacao grown right here in Southern California. Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2025 Sheep, pigs, and cattle grazed under the trees and harvested their own fodder—a practice known as silvopasture, derived from Latin and meaning forest feeding. Ben Seal, JSTOR Daily, 19 Mar. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harvest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harvest. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

harvest

1 of 2 noun
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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