reap
Americanverb (used with object)
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reaps,
present (3rd person singular)
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reaped,
past participle, past
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reaping
present participle
verb (used without object)
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reaps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
reaped,
past participle, past
-
reaping
present participle
verb
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to cut or harvest (a crop), esp corn, from (a field or tract of land)
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(tr) to gain or get (something) as a reward for or result of some action or enterprise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reapsimple
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reapssimple
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have reapedperfect
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has reapedperfect
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am reapingprogressive
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are reapingprogressive
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is reapingprogressive
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have been reapingperfect progressive
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has been reapingperfect progressive
Past
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reapedsimple
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had reapedperfect
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was reapingprogressive
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were reapingprogressive
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had been reapingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of reap
before 900; Middle English repen, Old English repan, riopan; cognate with Middle Low German repen to ripple (flax); akin to ripe
Explanation
When you reap something, you enjoy the rewards of your efforts. When your great audition gets you cast in your dream role, you reap the benefits of all that rehearsing you did. Reap can also describe the act of harvesting crops. The farmer will then sell the crop, reaping a profit. Here, reap means the same as gain. You may have heard the expression "what you reap is what you sow," which comes from the New Testament and can apply to farming and everything else — if, for example, you are patient with other people, they in turn will be patient with you.
Vocabulary lists containing reap
Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017
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Down on the Farm
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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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:
Allison Ellsworth and her husband, founders of soda brand Poppi, maxed out their credit cards to build the company, wagering a sale could reap a bigger payday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Kateri’s section is quieter and methodical like its central hero, who slips undetected among this community to sow her chaos and reap her revenge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Saudi Arabia won't reap the economic rewards anytime soon.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
But if investors can stick it out, they could reap the rewards, analysts say.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Maybe it’s like Pastor Dames says—we have to keep sowing love and goodness in the world even when the world hates us. Remember? We reap what we sow.”
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
She added its conclusion on a technicality "leaves a lot of questions and debates unresolved," such as how highly capable AI systems are governed and who reaps their economic benefits.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
They follow a pledge by leader Kim Jong Un to bolster nuclear forces, as Pyongyang reaps the benefits of deeper ties with Russia and sharpens its invective against US ally South Korea.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
The party also reaps domestic gains from its push for cultural appeal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
When the stock market soars, the state reaps a hefty chunk.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2024
"What a man sows on his name day, he reaps throughout the year."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
The gains were helped by international growth, as bigger artists went on bigger tours and Live Nation reaped the rewards of venue purchases in cities like Paris and Milan.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
Olympic hockey team reaped the benefits of the NanoNeedle earlier this year—even if they had never heard of it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
As foreign customers flocked to strike deals with these factories, the country reaped more than income.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026
The top executives at GM and Ford in 2025 reaped the highest compensation ever during their tenures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
But the rice he reaped from the land of the Hwangs brought him twice as much as that from his own rice land.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
He needed to be patient to overcome an issue which lingers if not properly rested and, having played consistently over the past two seasons, is now reaping the rewards.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
However, some have been more cynical about big tech firms reaping billions in annual revenue putting up product prices.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Micron has been reaping the benefits of an industrywide shortage of memory technology, an important component of artificial-intelligence hardware.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
We have trained sloth and docility and are reaping what we have sown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The train begins moving and we're plunged into night until we clear the tunnel and I take my first free breath since the reaping.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
