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 Web
Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
The festival, which is spread over a period of five days, also marks the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar, and celebrates the year’s last rice-crop harvest, per JSTOR.
For Sikhs, meanwhile, Diwali celebrates sixth Guru, who serves as a source of inspiration and a symbol for freedom.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
Even if they’re harvested in the form of digital DNA.
Want to go deeper?
—Benji Jones, Vox, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harvest 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Spring and summer elections were thought to interfere with farmers' planting season, and late summer and early fall elections overlapped with their busiest harvest, History.com indicates.
—Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
The festival, which is spread over a period of five days, also marks the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar, and celebrates the year’s last rice-crop harvest, per JSTOR.
For Sikhs, meanwhile, Diwali celebrates sixth Guru, who serves as a source of inspiration and a symbol for freedom.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Bramble fruit are harvested from canes which produce a crop in their second year of growth.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
Even if they’re harvested in the form of digital DNA.
Want to go deeper?
—Benji Jones, Vox, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harvest
Articles Related to harvest
Dictionary Entries Near harvest
Cite this Entry
“Harvest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harvest. Accessed 22 Nov. 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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