MEANING
1. To bring a force, ability, or resource under control for a particular purpose.
2. A set of straps fitted to a person or animal for restraint, support, or connection to equipment.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- harness energy
- harness expertise
On the page
The project harnessed local expertise rather than importing a model.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- harness
- Past tense
- harnessed
- Past participle
- harnessed
- Present participle
- harnessing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- harness
- Present continuous
- am/is/are harnessing
- Present perfect
- have/has harnessed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been harnessing
- Past
- harnessed
- Past continuous
- was/were harnessing
- Past perfect
- had harnessed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been harnessing
- Future
- will harness
- Future continuous
- will be harnessing
- Future perfect
- will have harnessed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been harnessing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: harness; harnesses; harnessed; harnessed; harnessing. Noun singular harness; plural harnesses. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: harnesss.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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