harvest

1 of 2

noun

har·​vest ˈhär-vəst 

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

harvestable

ˈhär-və-stə-bəl 

adjective

harvester noun

Synonyms

Noun

• crop

Verb

• gather
• pick
• reap

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

Noun

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also reports that the total yearly tribal harvest of walleyes has ranged from 18,500 to 30,558 for the past 13 years in the Ceded Territory. —Frank Vaisvilas, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024

The Decision to Harvest a Hen Despite growing criticism of fall turkey seasons that allow hen harvest, Vermont officials say their turkey population can support it. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 4 Dec. 2024

Verb

This year, Dyer and his team harvested about 100 pounds of honey per hive, which is sold in the gift shop and worked into the dishes—like the charcuterie board, sauces, dressings, and desserts—that are offered at all three restaurants and via room service. —Sofia Perez, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Every spring, farmers around the country place one to three seedlings in place of every single tree that was harvested during the fall for the holidays, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. —Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024

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

Phrases Containing harvest

• harvest fly
• harvest home
• harvest mite
• harvest moon
• pre-harvest

Kids 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 verb

1

: to gather in a crop : reap

2

: to gather as if by harvesting

harvest timber