harp on

Idioms  

1. Dwell on; talk or write about to a tedious and excessive extent. For example, She kept harping on the fact that she had no household help at all. This expression is a shortening of harp on the same string, meaning “to play the same note over and over.” It was first recorded in 1518.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

harp on

“Bless his heart, he is full of beans,” he continues, describing Jagger this way twice in 30 minutes, “and playing some really great blues harp on this record.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

“As much as we harp on curation and context and all of these things, we still want people to have a good time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

The framers probably thought there was no need to harp on about the Union being perpetual.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023

“Here, we don’t quit. That’s the biggest thing and what we harp on in the offseason.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2023

When the song was finished Willie polished his harp on the front of his shirt.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Related Words

• dwell on
• nag