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

"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

"Our vision is to provide green, sustainable tools that will allow us to harness these plants' natural power," Hamberger said.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026

There is clearly talent there and it is now up to him to show it, and for Emery to harness it.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Dey De Guzman helps Sabine Hoppner attach her climbing harness at a community event Saturday in Pasadena..

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

I would run during the day, work on my trap sets, then pitch a tent and camp at night and harness up and run the next day, and there was great beauty in that.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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

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

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

The event highlighted how the Westwood-based museum inspires creatives and harnesses community for the city’s artists.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2026

This limits event risk and harnesses time decay, the term for how options lose value each day closer to expiration.

From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026

There were safety lines that hooked to harnesses Soulzeren had given them to wear—all but Eril-Fane, whose shoulders were far too big for them.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Glinting in the night, halfway up a hill in Japan, the greenhouse-like "Ku-An" test lab is lit by electricity harnessed from 1,500 wooden boxes of soil and compost.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

And he thinks A.I. can be harnessed to make government more efficient and effective for constituents.

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

Ackman had praised Grainge’s leadership, saying the company continues to build its artist roster, signed revenue-driving deals with streaming platforms and has harnessed artificial-intelligence opportunities while protecting the company’s and artists’ intellectual property.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

Solar cells and nickel-cadmium batteries harnessed energy and created the promise of battery- powered cars.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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

His truck, selling hot dogs, empanadas and fried shrimp, runs on rechargeable batteries as part of a city pilot aimed at cutting harmful noise and air pollution by harnessing electric energy.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

But harnessing the power of AI could put us in a position to answer them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

He said this could include removing obstacles to business growth, welfare reform, action to tackle illegal immigration and a harnessing of artificial intelligence.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

Boyle’s law provided a theoretical account of how pressure could be used to produce powerful force, if one could only find a way of harnessing that force for a useful purpose.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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