harper
noun
a person who plays the harp.
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harper
1 American
[hahr-per]
/ ˈhɑr pər /
Harper
2
American
[hahr-per]
/ ˈhɑr pər /
noun
-
James, 1795–1869, and his brothers John, 1797–1875, (Joseph) Wesley, 1801–70, and Fletcher, 1806–77, U.S. printers and publishers.
-
a male or female given name.
Harper
British
/ ˈhɑːpə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of harper
before 900; Middle English; Old English hearpere. See harp, -er 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When they became international stars in the 1970s, the group hired a harper named Derek Bell to play the old O’Carolan tunes, which as a result became part of every Irish band’s repertoire.
From Washington Post ● May 12, 2016
Mead has been spilled on the oak and the king's strong-thewed companions, none over 30, sprawl, snore or listen intently to the end of a long-drawn saga sung by Maccus, the harper.
From Time Magazine Archive
Only one man in the kingdom seemed cast down: the man who’d been Hrothgar’s harper before the blind man came to make his bid.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
I could no longer pay the cook and the harper, and Lynesse grew wild when I spoke of pawning her jewels.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
She was the lovely, golden-haired harper who had tried for her talent and failed.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Farrell is terrific, as always, as an empathetic gumshoe investigating a trail of crime and corruption that rings true to devotees of L.A. noir, from Raymond Chandler to “Chinatown” to Jordan Harper.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The mother of PC Andrew Harper has said her son has not been given "proper justice" and "every victim will be feeling the same" about the early prison release scheme.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The mother of police officer Andrew Harper has said it feels like an "insult" that two of her son's killers may be eligible for early release from prison.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Harper said he received a request on Cameo in November 2024 to read a message provided by FanDuel VIP host Bryttanni Morgan for a personal “holiday video for Terry.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Harper and the other officers took off after him.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
When gloved harpers set those overhead strings vibrating, the Kennedy Center architecture will be reflected in the tone.
From Washington Post ● May 12, 2016
"Your father—" "—will thank me, when I hand him his kingdom. I mean to do a deed that the harpers will sing of for a thousand years."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Two days before the Eisteddfod, there began to troop into the town from all parts bards and singers, poets and harpers and minstrels and the members of a chorus five hundred voices strong.
From Mushroom Town by Onions, Oliver
Then they sat down to supper; and while they ate and drank, the harpers played for them, and the poets told their tales and sang their songs.
From Old Celtic Romances by Unknown
There was a balcony at the further end, where the white-haired harpers played, and sang tales of war and love; curious antique mottoes were blazoned on the walls in old Welsh characters.
From The Ruined Cities of Zululand by Walmsley, Hugh Mulleneux
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
