harness

American  

[hahr-nis] / ˈhɑr nɪs /

noun

• harnesses
  plural

1. the combination of straps, bands, and other parts forming the working gear of a draft animal.

2. (on a loom) the frame containing heddles through which the warp is drawn and which, in combination with another such frame or other frames, forms the shed and determines the woven pattern.

3. the equipment, as straps, bolts, or gears, by which a large bell is mounted and rung.

4. Electricity. wiring harness.

5. armor for persons or horses.

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verb (used with object)

• harnesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• harnessed,
  past participle,  past
• harnessing
  present participle

1. to put a harness on (a horse, donkey, dog, etc.); attach by a harness, as to a vehicle.

2. to bring under conditions for effective use; gain control over for a particular end.

   to harness water power; to harness the energy of the sun.

   Synonyms:

   exploit, utilize, manage, control

3. Archaic. to array in armor or equipments of war.

idioms

1. in double harness. double harness.

2. in harness,

   1. engaged in one's usual routine of work.

      After his illness he longed to get back in harness.

   2. together as cooperating partners or equals.

      Joe and I worked in harness on our last job.

harness British  

/ ˈhɑːnɪs /

noun

1. an arrangement of leather straps buckled or looped together, fitted to a draught animal in order that the animal can be attached to and pull a cart

2. something resembling this, esp for attaching something to the body

   a parachute harness

3. mountaineering an arrangement of webbing straps that enables a climber to attach himself to the rope so that the impact of a fall is minimized

4. the total system of electrical leads for a vehicle or aircraft

5. weaving the part of a loom that raises and lowers the warp threads, creating the shed

6. archaic armour collectively

7. at one's routine work

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verb

1. to put harness on (a horse)

2. (usually foll by to) to attach (a draught animal) by means of harness to (a cart, etc)

3. to control so as to employ the energy or potential power of

   to harness the atom

4. to equip or clothe with armour

harness More Idioms  

1. see die with one's boots on (in harness) in harness.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• harnesser
  noun
• reharness
  verb (used with object)
• harness-like
  adjective
• harnessless
  adjective
• harnesslike
  adjective
• well-harnessed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• harnesses
  plural

Participles

• harnessing
  present
• harnessed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• harness
  simple
• harnesses
  simple
• have harnessed
  perfect
• has harnessed
  perfect
• am harnessing
  progressive
• are harnessing
  progressive
• is harnessing
  progressive
• have been harnessing
  perfect progressive
• has been harnessing
  perfect progressive

Past

• harnessed
  simple
• had harnessed
  perfect
• was harnessing
  progressive
• were harnessing
  progressive
• had been harnessing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will harness
  simple
• will have harnessed
  perfect
• will be harnessing
  progressive
• will have been harnessing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of harness

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English harneis, herneis, from Old French herneis “baggage, equipment,” from Old Norse hernest (unrecorded) “provisions for an armed force,” equivalent to herr “army” ( cf. harbor, herald) + nest “provisions for a journey”

Explanation

A harness is a set of straps that are put on a horse so it can be hitched to a wagon or a carriage. The harness distributes the effort across larger sections of the horse's body. Other animals and people can also wear harnesses. Your dog might have a harness for walking, with the leash attaching to the harness and not the collar, keeping the dog from choking itself when it pulls. People wear harnesses for safety, when climbing trees or bungee jumping, for example. As a verb, harness means to control or direct as if with a harness for a specific purpose, the way solar power harnesses the power of the sun.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

harness harnesses harnessed harnessing

But what makes the harness so important for enterprises?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Green Lanterns are intergalactic heroes who use a special ring to harness their imagination and willpower to manifest objects, manipulate energy and fly, as we see Jordan do, to Stewart’s chagrin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

This is the same Jimmy Chin who later filmed Alex Honnold as he climbed El Capitan in Yosemite without ropes or harness in “Free Solo,” which won the 2019 Oscar for Best Documentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

"Great effort went into straightening rivers to harness them for our use, but also into enabling agriculture by draining the wetlands."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

I knew Samir would soon collapse, but he didn’t let go of Rostam’s harness.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

That harnesses a network of roughly 200 task forces comprising over 4,000 personnel from federal, state and local agencies.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

That’s why scientists in Arizona are strapping volunteers into harnesses and lowering them onto wet floors: to find what kinds of surfaces are safest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

He’s long advocated for lap belts or safety harnesses on theme park rides.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The three men were wearing harnesses that appear to be attached to a security rope.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

She came out to see Jacques-Paul packing his tights, harnesses, and yo-yo into the trunk.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Winston Churchill harnessed the power of radio, but thought television a vulgar diversion.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

"The mining sector is dying out in Poland and you have to change something in your life," he says, harnessed and ready to take the elevator to the top of a turbine.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Which food molecules could be harnessed to develop new drugs, or new foods?

From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026

We’re just living in a time where our leaders have not harnessed that goodness.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

A group of men had harnessed themselves to a fire wagon that held a large tank of water, but one of the wheels broke and it proved too heavy to drag.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

For those developing AI tools which are designed to take actions on a person's behalf, there is a careful balance to be struck between harnessing their benefits and exposing their risks.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

One example of successfully harnessing a social media audience is Ilona Maher, the US rugby player whose popularity soared during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

It is being recorded as part of work harnessing hidden microphones, cameras and artificial intelligence to reveal the secrets of species living deep in the rainforest and help protect them.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

I set up this new session by harnessing the same sycophantic, people-pleasing tendencies that can make AI hallucinate in the first place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Sometimes, if the work horses were to be used that day, Jody found Billy Buck in the barn harnessing and currying.

From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• curb
• exploit
• mobilize
• tackle
• tame
• utilize