harping

American

[hahr-ping] / ˈhɑr pɪŋ /

Also harpin

noun

Shipbuilding.

any of several horizontal members at the ends of a vessel for holding cant frames in position until the shell planking or plating is attached.

Other Word Forms

unharping adjective

Etymology

Origin of harping

1620–30; perhaps harp + -ing 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.

"They are harping on about getting more disabled people in employment," she said.

From BBC • Oct. 26, 2025

Believe me, I’m completely aware that I sound like a Scrooge, a buzzkill harping and carping about innocuous movies that are meant to be little more than background noise while people scroll on their phones.

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2024

Kavanaugh then pivoted, harping on “detransitioners”—people who transitioned, and then stopped identifying as transgender.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2024

But, he also painted a broader picture of why he is concerned about increased regulation, harping back to Amazon’s blocked acquisition of iRobot, the Boston-based maker of the autonomous vacuum cleaners Roomba.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

She recalled the constant harping on education in the family.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023